Building an application that people want to keep using and sharing with their friends is hard work.  You will spend hours trying to get everything just right and many code reviews later you'll have things ready to ship.  However, whether your app is truly successful or not starts way before the first line of code is ever written.  If your application is not really great at solving the problem it sets out solve it will…

Sometimes even the best developers need a great starting point from which to develop their masterpieces.  Given the importance of solid design and platform consistency, it should come as no surprise that Visual Studio and Blend for Visual Studio ship with templates that help developers get off to a great start.  These templates include layouts that should help you get started no matter what type of application you are developing…

A great composer will probably have been exposed to a wide variety of music before composing their first symphony.  A best-selling author has most likely read many novels before penning their masterpiece.  Software development is no different from these examples.  In fact, given how different developing for the Windows Store is compared to creating classic desktop apps, it is even more important to explore the apps that…

A development tip series for Windows 8 would not be off to a great start without an introduction to the foundation all Windows Store apps are built on.  The Windows Runtime, or WinRT for short, is this foundation.  WinRT is probably best described as an unmanaged, native API that can be leveraged from many different languages via a mechanism called language projection.  Read more to find out some more details about how WinRT…

I have seen many developer tip series or tutorials for Windows 8 that either leave out the design aspect of the platform or they save it until the very end.  This is unfortunate because design is a strong focus of Windows 8.  Many developers feel weird reading design-related tips in a series that is supposed to be about development.  I've got news for you though.  If you don't have a designer for your app and you aren…

Your journey towards building an application for the Windows Store begins as most journeys do -- with a crucial choice.  Thankfully, this choice doesn't involve casting a ring into a burning mountain or choosing the Light Side over the Dark Side.  This choice boils down more to personal preferences and strengths more than anything.  However, there are some things to consider before making this decision.

(Other tips in the…

There is a lot to consider when you decide to start developing for Windows 8.  It's a brand new platform with lots of new and exciting challenges.  It is the first desktop grade operating system to be truly designed for touch.  Developing applications for the Windows Store represents a new set of opportunities for existing and new developers alike.  All of this can be overwhelming.  

Having been through this process…