Project canntenial


    At the last Build conference, there was an announcement of one of the Windows bridges called Project Cenntenial. Since it has not yet been mentioned in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet, I will now try to fill this gap.

    Project C is a technology that allows you to pack your classic .Net and Win32 applications into an AppX container that can be downloaded from the Windows Store. You will get the opportunity to publish the application in the Store, and your users will receive applications that are installed and removed without leaving any different garbage.

    In addition, developers will be able to call UWP APIs and services from their .Net applications.

    Let's first look at how UWA (Universal Windows Applications) applications differ from classic CWA (Classic Windows Applications) applications. One of the global differences is that they have an App Model. What does it mean? This means that UWP applications are strictly regulated. All information about application features is described in the application manifest. An application manifest is an xml file that can be edited either manually or using a graphical editor.

    What is the App Model? This information is about how the application will be installed, what resources it will use, how the update will take place, how it will communicate with other applications, how it will maintain its current state ...

    Everyone knows the situation when, after several years of operation, the Windows can begin to slow down. After a large number of applications have been installed and removed, the registry is clogged, there are extra dlls, extra files. A lot of trash. This is partly due to the fact that applications do not have a clear model. They can write information to various parts of the registry, store information not clear where, any application can be run with administrator rights, etc.

    Windows 8.x and UWP have no such problems. They are deleted completely without clogging the registry and directories and without leaving behind any unnecessary components. The absence of dll-hells is also provided to you.

    Windows Store apps are AppX files. Accordingly, Project C applications will also be packaged in an AppX container. The following illustration will colorfully tell you how the packaging process is going on:

    In addition to the applications being tested, they will also be checked for malicious code (technology similar to kill-bit is used).

    Next, I will give you the information that I received from the translation of a report by John Sheehan:
    • The technology is very similar to App-V. If you create a Project C application, it will work with App-V
    • Project C applications will only work on PC
    • Project C applications do not run in the sandbox as UWP applications. They are more limited than Win32 applications and run only in the context of the user - full user-level trust, but without administrator rights
    • Do not display UAC, have access to COM and WMI and even access to some devices that are not available for UWP applications
    • A Project C application cannot access the libraries of another Project C application (although they will try to make some kind of connection in a special way)

    I remind you that in Project C applications it will be possible to use the API and UWP services.

    What API features are most likely to be available for a .Net developer? I believe that this, for example, features such as: Share contract, tiles (secondary and live tiles), background tasks, voice assistant Cortana, toast and push notifications and many others.

    We bet, gentlemen, what else will be available for .Net developers. You can

    try to take part in testing here:
    Windows Developer Preview Programs
    You may notice that in the list of application conversion programs there are also bridges for converting iOs ( Project Islandwood ) and Android ( Project Astoria) applications, as well as Silverlight. Not included in the list, but the Westmister project, which allows you to convert websites to UWP applications, has already become quite famous.

    The Cenntenial project is under development. There is still no more information at this time. Project C developers are aware that vulnerabilities are possible, which is probably why there are still no hasty releases.

    The name of the project is translated as “centenary” (it does not come from the word cent, but from the word century). I hope that the release will happen all the same in the near future, and not in a hundred years.

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