Software tools provider Telerik is attempting to alleviate some of its customers’ fears about the future of Microsoft Windows development. The Seattle giant made it clear, starting on the first day of the BUILD conference, that Metro-style applications are the future, which left many wondering if this meant the demise of .NET, Silverlight and all of the vendor tools that support them.
It’s All About Metro
Lots of rumors and speculations are floating around based on what Microsoft said and did not say at its future-focused BUILD conference.
Is .NET dead? What the heck is up with Silverlight? Will any of my existing development tools work with the new fancy-shmancy version of Windows? Is my job at risk because I don’t even know how to pronounce XAML, let alone code in it?”
If Microsoft is planning long-term support for Silverlight, the BUILD session agenda doesn’t make it obvious. There were countless sessions focused on HTML5, JavaScript and the new application model for Windows 8. However, few sessions addressed .NET and absolutely none covered Silverlight or development using open languages like Python or PHP on the Microsoft platform. In some cases, actions are better predictors than press releases.
Telerik released a statement today in response to all of concerns raised by Microsoft’s change in direction. Telerik’s actions probably aren’t entirely benevolent. It’s likely the company is taking an offensive stance trying to retain its customers before new tool providers enter the market or developers start leveraging more cross-platform tools for their HTML5, CSS and JavaScript endeavors.
Telerik is assuring its current and potential customers that Telerik tools have value for developers now and will continue to have value in the future. According to Telerik, it is taking two key actions to ensure they are ready for Metro:
- Its existing XAML tools, which include components such as grids, data visualizations, and rich text editors, are being updated to work with the Windows 8 Runtime and Metro style development.
- Telerik is building a jQuery-based framework for HTML5 and JavaScript development, which is currently in beta.
Telerik executives have also posted several blog entries reiterating its potential to support the future of Windows development and calming developers worried about stagnating fears by suggesting that the transition to Metro as the dominant style of development will be slow.
Telerik’s Senior Leadership Speaks
In addition to company statements assuring customers that they don’t need to worry their pretty little heads about being able to leverage Telerik’s tools with the next version of Windows, Telerik will also be holding an interactive webinar. The hour-long webinar will be held October 17 at 1:00 PM EDT. Telerik leadership will address concerns regarding the future of Microsoft development and how its tools are evolving to support software creation on the platform. Participants will be allowed to ask questions via Twitter using the hash tag #builddemystified.
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