sql-server|Mar 8, 2016

SQL Server on Linux: A Savvy Move By Microsoft

The graphic said it all: the words SQL Server and Linux, linked together with a cheerful red heart. Microsoft’s announcement yesterday that it will bring its popular data software to Linux servers is the latest sign of its ongoing love affair with the open-source community. It’s also smart business. As Microsoft’s Azure cloud services become…
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news|Mar 3, 2016

An Easier Way to Access App Analytics

Tracking your app’s metrics—such as number of downloads and failure rate—is, of course, crucial to improving its performance. But the process can be cumbersome. Now, developers with apps in the Windows Store can access their analytics without having to log into Microsoft’s Dev Center, with a new Windows Store Analytics API. The API can be…
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News|Mar 2, 2016

Windows 10 IoT Core Now Supports Raspberry Pi 3

With the newest edition of Raspberry Pi now on the market, Microsoft has announced that it’s rolling out IoT Core support for the device, expanding the options for developers working on IoT projects. The $35 Raspberry Pi 3 board went on sale Feb. 29, and support is available via the most recent IoT Core Insider…
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news|Feb 29, 2016

HoloLens Development Kits Will Ship March 30

Ready to try your hand at building augmented reality apps? Microsoft will start shipping the first wave of its long-awaited HoloLens developer kits on March 30. Today is the first day to pre-order the $3,000 kits for developers who’ve already received invitations from Microsoft. (Haven’t received an invitation yet? Apply here. You must be a…
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News|Feb 26, 2016

Microsoft Scraps Android-to-Windows Bridge, Tells Developers to Use Xamarin Instead

It’s official: Project Astoria, Microsoft’s effort to create a bridge for porting over Android apps to Windows 10, is no more. Just one day after announcing its acquisition of multiplatform app development company Xamarin, Microsoft released an update to developers on the company’s bridge projects, which reads in part: “We…decided that we would focus our…
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News|Feb 25, 2016

Microsoft Buys Xamarin, Bets on a Cross-Platform Future

The past year has seen Microsoft take a number of strides towards realizing CEO Satya Nadella’s “cloud-first, mobile-first” vision. Once laser-focused on its own devices and operating systems, the company is increasingly platform-agnostic: It wants business customers and developers to use its cloud-based software, no matter what OS they prefer. On Wednesday, Microsoft took those…
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news|Feb 24, 2016

Visual Studio’s Java Tools Challenge Offers $85,000 in Prizes

The latest Visual Studio Marketplace hackathon focuses on integrating Java and Visual Studio, and the maker of the best extension or app will win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes. Here’s the challenge, according to Microsoft: Create a Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) extension that helps developers create, test, deploy, etc. Java apps. Or,…
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News|Feb 23, 2016

Windows Store Algorithm Updated to Improve App Visibility

Frustrated that your app doesn’t show up easily in Windows Store? Microsoft says it’s taking some steps to update the algorithm that decides which apps appear in search results. The algorithm “has been adjusted to give more weight to app quality signals such as the number of downloads and ratings,” according to a Microsoft blog post.…
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news|Feb 19, 2016

HoloLens Makes Strides, But May Not Be Available to Consumers Anytime Soon

In a jaw-dropping moment at this week’s TED conference in Vancouver, HoloLens creator Alex Kipman placed a holographic phone call to NASA scientist Jeffrey Norris, who was stationed at a HoloLens across the street. A life-size version of Norris appeared onstage with Kipman, who was wearing the Microsoft augmented reality headset. The two held a conversation…
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news|Feb 18, 2016

Windows Build 14267 Includes Easier Music Searching, Updates to Edge

Microsoft released Windows 10 Preview Build 14267 to Insiders in its Fast ring today. The new build includes a music search icon for Cortana that directs the virtual assistant to listen, Shazam-like, to music that’s playing and go find it. Users will also be able to automatically clear their browser history when exiting Microsoft Edge,…
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