Touching Developers Key to Windows 7
A beautiful day in New York City marked Microsoft's retail launch of Windows 7. Five-year-old Kylie, star of the "I'm a PC" commercials welcomed Steve Ballmer onstage at the Skylight Studios.
Most of the Windows 7 features demonstrated today were similar to those first shown last year at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, reports Jeff Schwartz, RDN news editor, who attended the event. An interesting twist was the emphasis on Windows 7 multitouch capabilities. In addition to a surprise partnership with Amazon to support its Kindle e-reader platform on touched-based devices, OEMs such as Acer, Fujitsu and others plan to ship tablet-based laptops that support capacitive-based touch functionality.
As Jeff Schwartz reports in his article,
Windows 7 Launches With a Touch of Kindle:
Forrester Research analyst Frank Gillett was among those who looked at the new Kindle app in the partner pavilion. He said the success Microsoft has in promoting touch will depend on the developer ecosystem. "Touch is great, but Web sites and applications will have to be optimized to support numerous different environments," Gillett said.
Next month's PDC09 in Los Angeles will serve as the official launch of Windows 7 for developers. On the docket, attendees can learn more about developing and running existing apps on the new operating system in numerous sessions, testing labs and a free Windows 7 Developer Bootcamp.
At PDC Microsoft will host a free Windows 7 Developer Center for testing applications, Nov. 16 - 19. Interested developers can pre-register for 1 hour timeslots, or take their chances during the show. Microsoft's Yochay Kiriaty offers guidance on how to qualify for logo certification, prepare for the labs and what to expect in his Windows 7 Labs @ PDC post: .
"Applications can be loaded onto a secure Windows 7 test platform in a private developer lab environment for Logo testing and submission. Our Windows Applications Developer Consultants can also help with Windows Compatibility questions or offer specific guidance for how you can make your application shine on Windows 7. You can pre-book a time slot right away, book a time when you get to the PDC, or just stop by Room 504/505."
Windows 7 development, touch-based laptops, Kindle and you: today's news suggests we may be turning the page on touch-enabled apps. Are Microsoft's Windows Touch Developer Resources adequate? Express your views on Windows 7 multitouch, tell us what you're working on or drop me a line at krichards@reddevnews.com
Posted by Kathleen Richards on 10/22/2009