New SDK allows native C++ for multiplatform distribution
Microsoft launched the new Windows Phone 8 developer platform today at the Build 2012 conference.
Windows 8 aims to streamline multi-platform development by moving all Windows devices to a common core.
This common core means developers can use native languages like C++ for Windows 8 phone apps, and distribute them to users on tablets and PCs as well.
In a post on the Windows blog, Kevin Gallo said moving to a common core meant foundational changes like shifting the .NET framework from .NET CF to Core CLR.
Aside from native C++, developers also get access to well-used tools and common APIs.
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Gallo claims that a developer so armed can reach an audience of as many as 500 million units next year.
There are a lot of Internet authors who keep saying that Windows Phone 8 allows native development. If I were such an author, I would download the SDK and verify this. Based on Microsoft's history of attempting to herd developers toward their interpreted platform (.NET), it seems unlikely to me that the development is truly native. They probably allow execution of native code inside a .NET sand box, allowing something like P-invoke to run native code. I would be very surprised if they allowed creation of true, no non-sense, native applications.
