Didn't they cut features on the store version of VLC? Why would anyone prefer UWP versions over desktop ones again?

isvelteWhy would anyone prefer UWP versions over desktop ones again?

Ease of install. Click, install, run. Not saying I like UWP, just that I understand the reason some do.

Hi,
Some versions of 10 and probably 11 can only install apps from the store.
I'd rather be fingered by captain hook personally lol

isvelteDidn't they cut features on the store version of VLC? Why would anyone prefer UWP versions over desktop ones again?

Selective reader I see :D

"This latest news is the latest addition to Microsoft's attempts to broaden the appeal of the Windows Store by allowing Win32 apps to be listed including Discord, Zoom, and VLC."

I wonder how they are going to monetize this, or is this just another way for them to maintain the ecosystem.

dyonoctisSelective reader I see :D

"This latest news is the latest addition to Microsoft's attempts to broaden the appeal of the Windows Store by allowing Win32 apps to be listed including Discord, Zoom, and VLC."

was I wrong that the vlc you can get from windows store has less features? And the discord is an unofficial one?

isveltewas I wrong that the vlc you can get from windows store has less features? And the discord is an unofficial one?

You are talking the current UWP VLC, this article is saying that Microsoft want to bring the win32 version to the store (aka the full feature one), those change are not currently deployed, but will be in the future.

If you are a beta tester of win11, you can already use the official version of discord and VLC win32 from the store :
Official Discord app is now available through the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 | Windows Central




As you can see, in win 11 there's two version of VLC, the one that you talked about and that everyone hate, and the "classic"

lexluthermiesterEase of install. Click, install, run. Not saying I like UWP, just that I understand the reason some do.

Exactly. I mostly stick with traditional apps, but for some minor tools (CrystalDiskMark, Spotify, a few others) I see no reason to not just look it up on the store. Quicker and easier than searching manually, and everything stays up to date automatically. Finally getting w32 apps into the store will be good though.

I remain highly suspicious of this being "a good thing" for anyone but MS. If there's one thing 30 years of history has proven, Windows is at its best when it's "open" and at its worst when Microsoft has "another great idea" to take more centralized control of the distribution channel. How does this benefit Steam, etc, to have fewer people go to Steam and more to the MS Store? Reminds of the Windows Store DX12 Exclusive Quantum Break which sold so badly on MS Store it ended up on Steam within 6 months and amusingly running +20-30% faster than the special MS Exclusive version.

They've spent 8 years trying hard to make it the "Desktop Google Play" store even to the point of turning Windows into an advertising billboard with an OS tacked onto the side, and yet it's still far closer to Zune Marketplace / Games For Windows Dead and still filled with obvious RipOff JunkWare like 3rd party software stealing VLC's highly distinctive "traffic cone" icon and weakly disguising it as "VLLC" or multiple people charging +£6 for the "guide" that's free on VLC's own website, or simple flashlight apps whose permissions "require" access to your webcam, microphone and Internet to toggle one LED. When the best of the MS Store is as bad as the trash side of the Google Play Store after 8 years of heavy investment, the only sane answer Steam, etc, can give is "Yeah, no thanks..."

dyonoctisYou are talking the current UWP VLC, this article is saying that Microsoft want to bring the win32 version to the store (aka the full feature one), those change are not currently deployed, but will be in the future.

If you are a beta tester of win11, you can already use the official version of discord and VLC win32 from the store :
Official Discord app is now available through the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 | Windows Central




As you can see, in win 11 there's two version of VLC, the one that you talked about and that everyone hate, and the "classic"

Oh goody, i'll trial those

If its something you use all the time, windows store makes it a lot easier to reinstall/sync settings on a new machine, or new install of your OS

BSim500I remain highly suspicious of this being "a good thing" for anyone but MS. If there's one thing 30 years of history has proven, Windows is at its best when it's "open" and at its worst when Microsoft has "another great idea" to take more centralized control of the distribution channel. How does this benefit Steam, etc, to have fewer people go to Steam and more to the MS Store? Reminds of the Windows Store DX12 Exclusive Quantum Break which sold so badly on MS Store it ended up on Steam within 6 months and amusingly running +20-30% faster than the special MS Exclusive version.

They've spent 8 years trying hard to make it the "Desktop Google Play" store even to the point of turning Windows into an advertising billboard with an OS tacked onto the side, and yet it's still far closer to Zune Marketplace / Games For Windows Dead and still filled with obvious RipOff JunkWare like 3rd party software stealing VLC's highly distinctive "traffic cone" icon and weakly disguising it as "VLLC" or multiple people charging +£6 for the "guide" that's free on VLC's own website, or simple flashlight apps whose permissions "require" access to your webcam, microphone and Internet to toggle one LED. When the best of the MS Store is as bad as the trash side of the Google Play Store after 8 years of heavy investment, the only sane answer Steam, etc, can give is "Yeah, no thanks..."

While I agree that there is a lot of junk on the MS store, the benefits of having a centralized app storefront with automatic updates are undeniable. MS just needs to get their act together when it comes to properly weeding out the trash and keeping the store running well. As for how this affects other storefronts, I think you're misunderstanding the premise: the storefront now allows you to install other storefronts like EGS, potentially Steam, etc. You ask "How does this benefit Steam, etc, to have fewer people go to Steam and more to the MS Store?" - this won't happen! The only change is that they can choose to install Steam through the MS Store rather than through steampowered.com. That's the only change. Installing Steam this way will not have you buying/installing Steam games through the MS Store, but through Steam, as usual.

Also, there's a false premise in play here: the existence of a centralized storefront doesn't take away from Windows' openness whatsoever. If anything, it adds to it through being yet another alternative for app installation. The only way it would take away from the openness would be if they somehow restricted app installs to only go through the Store.

Oh gosh UWP is dead in the water and a Microsoft Store doesn't seem to really make waves.

What's new? :D

For me the dealbreaker was the integration of Nvidia's drivers. What a mess, never again and no second chances. Thxbye, its 2020+ you should know better by now, Nadella. UWP is a similar crapshoot of proprietary arrogance. GTFO.

MusselsOh goody, i'll trial those

If its something you use all the time, windows store makes it a lot easier to reinstall/sync settings on a new machine, or new install of your OS

Try this instead - it will always work on any OS, you create a custom selection and save it. Or any number of selections depending on what kind of installs you're doing. Its auto-include for me on any Windows USB bootable.

ninite.com/

BSim500I remain highly suspicious of this being "a good thing" for anyone but MS. If there's one thing 30 years of history has proven, Windows is at its best when it's "open" and at its worst when Microsoft has "another great idea" to take more centralized control of the distribution channel. How does this benefit Steam, etc, to have fewer people go to Steam and more to the MS Store? Reminds of the Windows Store DX12 Exclusive Quantum Break which sold so badly on MS Store it ended up on Steam within 6 months and amusingly running +20-30% faster than the special MS Exclusive version.

They've spent 8 years trying hard to make it the "Desktop Google Play" store even to the point of turning Windows into an advertising billboard with an OS tacked onto the side, and yet it's still far closer to Zune Marketplace / Games For Windows Dead and still filled with obvious RipOff JunkWare like 3rd party software stealing VLC's highly distinctive "traffic cone" icon and weakly disguising it as "VLLC" or multiple people charging +£6 for the "guide" that's free on VLC's own website, or simple flashlight apps whose permissions "require" access to your webcam, microphone and Internet to toggle one LED. When the best of the MS Store is as bad as the trash side of the Google Play Store after 8 years of heavy investment, the only sane answer Steam, etc, can give is "Yeah, no thanks..."

Windows is supposed to be a canvas that enables any device and any application to run, runs legacy well, and in that it has enough of a unique selling point. I'm fine with MS updating the OS to be 'more connected' but it should remain 'additional capability' that does not remove what was there for legacy stuff.

Any time MS tries to transplant stuff away from user control, they fail. Even the UI they can't figure out proper. Perhaps, its just good as it is. Perhaps, its nice if there is ONE OS in the world that doesn't auto update and magically change all the time. I know I like it that way, at least... if you think of it, MS hasn't been able to step away from their 'service pack' approach after all. And they're moving up versions after all, too.

Even trying to integrate touch in a desktop OS is just a complete and utter failure. They keep trying to marry things instead of giving options side by side. I don't need to be exploring new features all the time, it doesn't aid productivity at all.

FourstaffI wonder how they are going to monetize this, or is this just another way for them to maintain the ecosystem.

Microsoft is looking at generations of people not growing up with Windows front and center right now. Its definitely about the ecosystem. No Windows in homes, is eventually going to mean no Windows in enterprise. Its that seamless transition that gave them the market share and persistence even with mobile OSes now mainstream. You can smell the desperation. Even Azure isn't safe if the OS is gone.

Vayra86Microsoft is looking at generations of people not growing up with Windows front and center right now. Its definitely about the ecosystem. No Windows in homes, is eventually going to mean no Windows in enterprise. Its that seamless transition that gave them the market share and persistence even with mobile OSes now mainstream. You can smell the desperation. Even Azure isn't safe if the OS is gone.

"Desperation" is a rather extreme term. More like "trying to stay with the times and not fall behind"? They're not managing to do so all that well (their more traditional approaches are generally more successful than their "innovative" things), but they're consistently improving the overall OS. It's also a bit weird to see you on the one hand argue that "Perhaps, its nice if there is ONE OS in the world that doesn't auto update and magically change all the time" while at the same time pointing out that the world is moving on and stagnation equalling being left behind. I mean, I guess you're fine with Windows shrinking into a niche OS, but most of us aren't - that would mean a dramatic drop-off in development and support for anything running on the platform, after all. Windows needs to balance compatibility with staying current and even innovating. That is damn hard to do, and involves a lot of compromise. W8/8.1 was a misfire; W10 was a good and has improved markedly since launch. Where W11 lands? No idea. The UI is certainly a big change, which requires users to adjust and re-learn. This takes time and can be challenging, but it might also lead to UX improvements in time - try to make a reasonably advanced W10 user go back to W7 and all the little missing creature comforts it lacks become very visible very quickly.

Valantar"Desperation" is a rather extreme term. More like "trying to stay with the times and not fall behind"? They're not managing to do so all that well (their more traditional approaches are generally more successful than their "innovative" things), but they're consistently improving the overall OS. It's also a bit weird to see you on the one hand argue that "Perhaps, its nice if there is ONE OS in the world that doesn't auto update and magically change all the time" while at the same time pointing out that the world is moving on and stagnation equalling being left behind. I mean, I guess you're fine with Windows shrinking into a niche OS, but most of us aren't - that would mean a dramatic drop-off in development and support for anything running on the platform, after all. Windows needs to balance compatibility with staying current and even innovating. That is damn hard to do, and involves a lot of compromise. W8/8.1 was a misfire; W10 was a good and has improved markedly since launch. Where W11 lands? No idea. The UI is certainly a big change, which requires users to adjust and re-learn. This takes time and can be challenging, but it might also lead to UX improvements in time - try to make a reasonably advanced W10 user go back to W7 and all the little missing creature comforts it lacks become very visible very quickly.

Yeah, I think you worded that a lot better than I did just now. It is damn hard, indeed. The user group is incredibly diverse too.

Vayra86Yeah, I think you worded that a lot better than I did just now. It is damn hard, indeed. The user group is incredibly diverse too.

Yep, and given the huge number of professional and enthusiast users (and their overlap) there's a lot of reticence towards learning new modes of interaction - why change what works, after all? The issue is when "what works" for someone is what they learnt X years ago, but which has since been superseded by far more intuitive or rich modes of interaction in competing platforms. Someone like Apple has the benefit of near-total control and a small enough user/install base to just chuck out whatever they don't like without that big of a backlash, while MS needs to try to please everyone from the IT tech who would prefer to use Linux but can't due to software needs to the near-retiree using Excel since the late 90s, to your grandfather who prints a recipe or woodworking tutorial every other week, to the 13-year-old grown up on smartphones, touch interfaces, universal search, fluent design, and all the other UX innovations that have pretty much revolutionized computer usage in the past decade or so. This articledelves into a particularly intriguing change in user habits, which to me is completely baffling, but also kind of makes sense in that computers really ought to be far superior to humans in organizing and keeping track of files - and doing that work manually is a real chore that really ought to have been automated away by now. (The problem is of course the lack of transparency and accountability in automated file management, where if a file is gone, it's gone, and you have no mechanisms for looking into this - a crucial flaw in how these functions are implemented in software.)

Tbh, I think MS is doing admirably, all things considered. It strikes the near-perfect balance of not pissing off too many people too much - though definitely some people by some amount! - while still making progress and improving things overall. With a user/install base in the billions, that is pretty impressive IMO. But as enthusiast users, we also need to accept that habits can't be expected to last forever. Life doesn't work that way, and while learning efficient habits is a huge boon for productivity in many cases, staying nimble and being able to adjust is also a necessity.

ValantarAs for how this affects other storefronts, I think you're misunderstanding the premise: the storefront now allows you to install other storefronts like EGS, potentially Steam, etc. You ask "How does this benefit Steam, etc, to have fewer people go to Steam and more to the MS Store?" - this won't happen! The only change is that they can choose to install Steam through the MS Store rather than through steampowered.com.

So in a few years time, we can expect potentially thousands of broken games on W7-10 machines because the Steam client (that runs natively under W7-10 and installs games that run natively under W7-10) that was installed via the MS Store suddenly starts "needing" the very latest build of W11 (that may well be undesirable to many) due to MS Store 'security' restrictions (and potential changes to them)? No thanks. If anything you've just reminded me of why Microsoft being able to break the Steam client on a whim is exactly the kind of thing that Valve has pumped a lot of money into Proton disproportionate to Linux market share as insurance against... At the very least it sounds like an utterly over-convoluted Matroshka Doll where you need to use a store to install another store, then use that store to buy games, then use the client of the 2nd store to play games. Also reminds me why I buy the GOG versions where possible.

lexluthermiesterEase of install. Click, install, run. Not saying I like UWP, just that I understand the reason some do.

And autoupdate without nagging the user. However most apps have less features on the store-version so it's pointless for advanced users for the most part.

BSim500So in a few years time, we can expect potentially thousands of broken games on W7-10 machines because the Steam client (that runs natively under W7-10 and installs games that run natively under W7-10) that was installed via the MS Store suddenly starts "needing" the very latest build of W11 (that may well be undesirable to many) due to MS Store 'security' restrictions (and potential changes to them)? No thanks. If anything you've just reminded me of why Microsoft being able to break the Steam client on a whim is exactly the kind of thing that Valve has pumped a lot of money into Proton disproportionate to Linux market share as insurance against... At the very least it sounds like an utterly over-convoluted Matroshka Doll where you need to use a store to install another store, then use that store to buy games, then use the client of the 2nd store to play games. Also reminds me why I buy the GOG versions where possible.

AFAIK, a W32 app installed through the store can't be disabled due to a lack of system updates (nor is this the case with UWP apps you have installed). You might not get future updates for that, but given that this is a W32 app and one of the relatively few with good built-in auto-update functionality, I don't see the problem. And if you're using W10 to play new games past the point where W10 stops getting Store updates ... well, that's on you, as that point is likely to be many years into the future. So, that's a nice scarecrow you've built yourself there, but for now that remains a fantasy scenario with no promise of coming true. W10 will lose support in October 2025, but the Store will likely stay functional past that as it can be updated separately. There's also no reason why W32 apps would be held back on W10 systems even if the Store on W11 implements new security requirements - W32 apps in the store will necessarily be less tightly integrated than UWP apps, so such a requirement is likely not practically possible.

So I guess the windows Store will take a cut from the other stores cuts ?

Also they should give us an option to permanently remove apps/software from library

ThrashZoneSome versions of 10 and probably 11 can only install apps from the store.

This is not correct. Windows S mode is easily turned off in the Windows 10 version and ms has not announced, so far, that "S" mode will carry forward to 11.

lexluthermiesterThis is not correct. Windows S mode is easily turned off in the Windows 10 version and ms has not announced, so far, that "S" mode will carry forward to 11.

Hi,
Yeah but some people use S mode on purpose so how is what I said not correct you just looking to stur the pot this morning lol

ThrashZoneHi,
Yeah but some people use S mode on purpose so how is what I said not correct you just looking to stur the pot this morning lol

No, your info was factually incorrect and that was what I was pointing out. I don't care if that is stirring the pot. Disinformation can be harmful and lead people to make choices they might not want to make because they think they have no other options. So let's not get our nickers in a twist this morning, mmm?

MyTechAddictionSo I guess the windows Store will take a cut from the other stores cuts ?

Highly unlikely - that would require them to mandate payment to be processed through their store, which EGS definitely isn't going to accept, and certainly not Steam or anything similar either. They use their own payment processing solutions that are entirely disconnected from the MS Store.

MyTechAddictionSo I guess the windows Store will take a cut from the other stores cuts ?

The only time this might happen is windows phone/tablets running ARM CPU's
If they get a good abstraction layer happening, lightweight x86 apps should also work

As to the other stores, i reckon MS will put some rules in place for malware/quality/legal checks, but not take a cut from other stores transactions. They're in expansion mode where they want more users, not in greed mode where they want to bleed the existing ones