Updated: July 10, 2020 (November 19, 2012)

WinRT Environment Delivers New Windows APIs

Michael analyzed and wrote about Microsoft's operating systems, including the Windows client OS, as well as compliance and governance. Michael... more

The new Modern user interface (UI) delivered with both Windows 8 and Windows RT will usher in a new generation of applications built on new APIs offered by the WinRT environment. The APIs are implemented with a flexible architecture that enables developers to use popular programming languages such as C, C++, C#, Visual Basic (VB), and JavaScript to build Windows Store applications. High performance and code reduction are emphasized, and a subset of the .NET Framework is supported. The changes may improve the development experience, but developer training will be required and existing code will likely need rewriting to be ported.

WinRT Environment Powers New Applications

WinRT (RT stands for “runtime”) is the foundation on which all Windows Store applications are built. WinRT APIs are implemented with native C++ code that connects directly to the Windows kernel and in some cases wraps existing Win32 APIs. Application developers must use WinRT APIs to access all OS functionality, such as communication, graphics, storage, media, device interaction, and UI controls.

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