[WorldWideWayne]

I feel like all of the changes Microsoft is making are not going to matter if they keep trying to build a walled garden. There's just no way that I'm investing any significant amount of time into technology that binds users to a one single app store.

[Delmania]

I'm having a hard time parsing this comment in light of Apple and Google, which essentially do the same thing. The article mentions the extensions are similar to Chrome, so it's possible that someone will build a translation layer that will take underlying code and build the application specific bindings.

Thanks to Xamarin, you can build an application for any platform using C#, and even more, .NET is running pretty much everywhere now. So, I'm confused as to what technology you are referring to?

[bad_user]

If Apple and Google are doing the same thing, that doesn't mean that it's OK for Microsoft to do it as well. Also, at the very least Android allows one to install software from third-party sources with a simple config change and there are alternative app stores available (e.g. Amazon's app store, F-Droid), whereas it isn't possible to do that on Windows Phone or with these modern Windows apps. And you can install apps from wherever on OS X.

Early 2000 seemed as if we're headed into a world of openness, of standards, but now the pendulum is striking back. I keep telling people that Apple is the worst thing that could have happened to this industry, but nobody listens. This is because Apple succeeded where Microsoft failed - they popularized DRM and Trusted Computing and every fear we've had when the notion of Trusted Computing happened is now coming to life ...

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.en.html

[WorldWideWayne]

So, because Apple and (to a much lesser extent) Google lock down their platforms, I should be OK when Microsoft tries to do it too?

I don't use iOS for the same reason that I won't use any of Microsoft's newly walled-in tech and I don't use certain Google products for the same reason.

> what technology you are referring to?

I'm referring to Metro/Modern/Windows Store/Universal apps and Edge.

- On Windows if I want to distribute a Metro/Modern app, I have to go through Microsoft's store. At least Android allows non-Google app stores and side-loading with the flick of a switch.

- Metro/Modern apps are not allowed talk to desktop apps. Even Chrome extensions and apps aren't as locked down as Metro.

- It looks like they're considering applying the same restrictions to Edge. Edge apps might only be able to talk to Windows Store apps.

None of this is OK with me. I never wanted Microsoft to do anything like Apple because I honestly don't like the way they do anything.

> .NET is running pretty much everywhere now...

Xamarin isn't Microsoft and this is not relevant to my point but here is what I think about Xamarin.

Not yet. Not really. Relatively nobody is using Xamarin tools because they are too expensive compared to the free or low cost tools that are available for building straight iOS and Android apps (or even cross platform ones with Javascript).

[Encosia]

I don't use Xamarin myself, but I don't think it's very accurate to say nobody is using their tools: http://xamarin.com/customers

If you spend any time at all talking with .NET developers (of which there are millions), many are very excited about Xamarin and being able to use their existing knowledge to build native cross-platform apps.