The following is a short interview with Succinctly series author Matteo Pagani, whose latest books UWP
Succinctly and More UWP Succinctly were published recently.
You can download the books here and here. Keep an eye out
for his upcoming whitepapers expanding on the groundwork laid in these titles.
What should people
know about the subject of your book? Why is it important?
The Universal Windows Platform is
the new development ecosystem introduced in Windows 10, which allows to create
applications that embrace the whole family of Windows 10 devices: from
traditional computers to touch devices, from small computers like a Raspberry
Pi to holographic experiences with HoloLens. All the current and future
investments in the Windows ecosystem can be found in the Universal Windows
Platform: Windows Hello for biometric security, live tiles, push notifications,
Cortana for speech interaction, inking, etc. Knowing the Universal Windows
Platform is the key to create applications that can embrace the future of
modern computing.
When did you first
become interested in this subject?
I have started to work with the
Windows ecosystem since the beginning of the transformation journey, which
started with Windows Phone, then it has gone through Windows 8 and the creation
of the Windows Runtime and now has reached the unification of the user and the
developer’s experience with Windows 10 and the Universal Windows Platform. I’ve
been a Microsoft MVP in the Windows development area for almost 5 years, until
I’ve joined Microsoft, where I’ve could turn my passion into a job. In my role
in the AppConsult team, I help developers from all around the world to bring
their ideas to the Windows ecosystem, no matter if we’re talking about a modern
touch based app, a classic Windows Forms application converted through the
Desktop Bridge or a holographic app based on the Windows Mixed Reality
platform.
By writing this
e-book, did you learn anything new yourself?
Yes! I’ve started to follow
Universal Windows Platform development since the first Windows 10 release but,
thanks to the new “Windows as a service” model, Microsoft releases
approximately twice per year a new major update of the operating system, which
includes also a new SDK with new features and APIs for developers. This book is
based on the latest official version (Windows 10 Creators Update) and, by
writing it, I’ve learned many of the new changes and features that have been
added compared to the first Windows 10 release almost 2 years ago.
How will this subject
change over the next few years?
As I anticipated in the previous
answer, Windows 10 has adopted a model called “Windows as a service”, which
means that approximately twice per year Microsoft will release a new major
update, which will bring new features both for the final user and developers,
making the platform more innovative and powerful year after year. Additionally,
Microsoft is turning more and more Windows into an ecosystem for everyone: for
innovators, thanks to the Windows Mixed Reality platform; for classic desktop
developers, thanks to the Desktop Bridge; for developers that wants to leverage
the power of the Microsoft tools but with technologies born for other
platforms, thanks to the Linux Subsystem; for developers that would like to
target not just Windows but also other platforms, thanks to XAML Standard and
.NET Standard Libraries, which will make easier to share the user interface and
the code across multiple devices, like iPhones and Android phones.
Do you see the
subject as part of a larger trend in software development?
Even if the advent of the mobile
ecosystem has changed the role of the PC, there’s still a strong demand for
traditional computers and innovative devices like the 2-in-1 that can help
users to be more productive and more flexible. Touch, inking, digital assistants
powered by artificial intelligence are becoming more and more part of the
experience that users expect nowadays, and the Universal Windows Platform can
help to satisfy this request, both from the consumer and the enterprise world.
What other books or
resources on this topic do you recommend?
I would recommend the official
documentation by Microsoft (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/get-started/universal-application-platform-guide)
and the Microsoft Virtual Academy website (https://mva.microsoft.com/),
where Microsoft regularly publishes free courses around its technologies. Among
them, you will find many courses about the Universal Windows Platform and some of
the prerequisites that can make it easier to understand the content of this
book (like the courses about the fundamentals of object-oriented programming
and the C# language).