Application deployment on Windows 8: App X

From a specifications document it’s revealed attributes include but are not limited to:

• Application identity – name, publisher, version
• Application architecture – processor architecture, type of application, framework required, operating system version
• Dependencies – name, publisher and minimum version of other required applications
• Capabilities – networking, file system and profile capabilities requested by the application
• OS extensions – associated filetypes and protocols, AutoPlay, “Charms”, notifications, splash screen
• Tile customization – logo, name, description and colors for the tile-based user interface

Pretty extensive list for an XML file but here’s the kicker..

In fact, the AppX format is universal enough so it appears to work for everything from native Win32 applications to framework-based applications and even *gasp* web applications. Games are also supported.

Interesting.. you can read his article here…]]>