Microsoft is serious about WinRT

The month of August taught us one thing: Microsoft is serious about WinRT and the new Win 8 UI.

I suspect that most Windows developers were secretly hoping that the Windows 8 UI (formerly known as "Metro") were a grand joke, a big bluff by Microsoft. But the release of Windows 8, complete with UI-makeover, has shown that Microsoft was not bluffing. Microsoft is serious about this Windows 8 thing.

The new Windows 8 UI is quite a departure from "good old Windows". It is a bigger change than the change from Windows 3 to Windows 95. Windows 8 introduces "tiles" (bigger and better app icons), swipes, taps, mouseless operation, and even keyboardless operation.

The changes in Windows 8 are not limited to the UI. Windows 8, in its "RT" flavor, boasts a new API, a smaller and more focussed API that breaks many current programs. (Programs that use the "classic" Windows API are permitted to run under "Windows desktop" mode on full-blown Windows 8, but cannot run under the more limited Windows 8 RT environment.

Worst of all, Windows 8 (in the new UI) eliminates the "Start" button. This change, I think, surpasses all others in terms of shock value. People will tolerate new APIs and new tiles, but they know and love their Start button.

But Microsoft is serious about these changes, and -- perhaps more shocking than anything Microsoft has done -- I agree with them.

Microsoft has to move into the tablet space. They have to move into mobile/cloud computing. The reason is simple: mobile/cloud is where the growth is.

The Windows platform (the classic Windows desktop platform) has become stagnant. Think about it: When was the last time that you purchased a new Windows application? I'm not talking about upgrades to Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat, but a purchase of a new application, one that you have not been using the past? If you're like me, the answer is: a long time ago. I have been maintaining a Windows platform and set of applications, but not expanding it.

The Windows platform (the classic desktop platform) has achieved its potential, and has nowhere to grow. The web took away a lot of the growth of Windows applications (why buy or create a Windows-only app when I can buy or create a web app?) and the mobile/cloud world is taking away the rest of Windows desktop potential. (It's also taking away the rest of Mac OSX potential and Linux desktop potential. The web and mobile/cloud are equal-opportunity paradigm shifts.)

Microsoft recognizes this change, and they are adapting. With Windows 8, they have created a path forward for their developers and customers. This path is different from previous Windows upgrades, in that Windows 8 does not guarantee to run all previous applications. (At least the Windows 8 RT path does not -- it has the reduced API that restricts apps to a limited set of operations.)

Windows 8 RT is a big "reset" for the Microsoft development community. It introduces a new API and a new toolset (Javascript and HTML5). It discards a number of older technologies (a big departure from Microsoft's previous policy of maintaining backwards-compatibility). It forces developers to the new tools and API, and knocks lots of experienced developers down to the junior level. In effect, it sets all developers on the same "starting line" and starts a new race.

But the tablet and mobile/cloud worlds are the worlds of growth. Microsoft has to move there. They cannot ignore it, nor can they move there in gentle, easy steps. Apple is there today. Google is there today. Amazon.com is there today. Microsoft must move there today, and must force its developers there today.

I see this move as a good thing for Microsoft. It will cause a lot of change (and a lot of pain) but it keeps them competitive.