Windows PHONE 8 to allow development of NATIVE apps in C++

[SunnyD]

I was thinking of posting this in Mobile Devices, but honestly it wouldn't matter over there.

Reading ArsTechnica's coverage of todays WinPho announcements, not that I really care about WinPho due to lack of app support, this line really caught my eye:

With the new kernel, Microsoft is also enabling the creation of native code applications written in C++ for the first time on Windows Phone. In version 7.5, all applications are developed in C# or Visual Basic .NET and compiled to platform-independent bytecode. While this has proven easy to use and attractive to many developers, it makes it hard for game developers to eke out all the performance the hardware can offer. It also precludes the use of useful libraries that developers on iOS, Android, and Windows can take advantage of.

Windows Phone 8's native code support addresses both issues. Native code development will produce programs that run directly on the ARM processors that Windows Phone supports. This should boost performance, and will greatly extend source code compatibility with other platforms.

The new kernel they're referring to is the fact that Windows Phone 8 now shares the very same base NT Kernel than Windows 8/Server 8 does.

😕 I am now strangely attracted to the platform as a developer.

 

[Markbnj]

That does sound pretty cool. My first thought on reading your title was "managed C++ on the WRT" but actually allowing native code on the processor is a bigger deal.

 

[Train]

Was quite surprised to see so much DirectX support on a phone. Should allow for some very impressive apps/gaming.

Probably way overkill for 99.99% of the apps that you would use on a phone though. My guess is it will be most useful in porting existing stuff to WP8.