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Is there portable open source tooling to create these packages, like there is for MSI? Can programs installed through Appx packages do everything you can do as

by slrz 9y ago

Is there portable open source tooling to create these packages, like there is for MSI? Can programs installed through Appx packages do everything you can do as a Windows app or is there some form of mandatory sandboxing that would prevent its use for e.g. installing services or setting up credential providers?

WorldMaker 9y ago
The APPX format itself is quite a lot simpler than MSI (APPX is a .ZIP file with a manifest XML file, and typically a code signature), and most major installer project systems that can build an MSI can build an APPX already (including a plugin for the open source WiX toolset and recent versions of many of the most used commercial options). APPX still encourages UWP apps, but the Desktop Bridge exists for Win32 Desktop applications. For Win32 Desktop applications there is still a small sandbox, but think of it along the lines of "Docker container". The container is there mostly to make install/uninstall clean and reproducible. Win32 applications are otherwise "full privilege" applications to the APIs they used before. The Desktop Bridge stuff itself is partly open source, but definitely not portable, you can download the Desktop App Converter for free on Windows 10 [directly from the Windows Store] and it will Docker-esque use mini-Windows containers to run an existing EXE/MSI install and try to capture what it installs into an APPX package. I don't think it currently supports installing Win32 services directly, and it definitely doesn't support things like kernel drivers. The focus is mostly on desktop applications. UWP has a powerful background task model that is powerful enough to replace many uses of Win32 Windows services for desktop application needs, and the Desktop Bridge GitHub has samples of communicating between Win32 and UWP pieces. The full Win32 Office suite has been on the Windows Store in Preview for a couple months now, and it seems pretty clear to me that if Office can be bundled entirely in APPX than most other desktop applications don't have much excuse left.
- slrz 9y ago
  Thanks, looks useful for Desktop applications and being able to handle it with WiX is nice. Personally, I'm more interested in system-level programs for integrating Windows with some existing infrastructure.

by slrz 9y ago

WorldMaker 9y ago

The APPX format itself is quite a lot simpler than MSI (APPX is a .ZIP file with a manifest XML file, and typically a code signature), and most major installer project systems that can build an MSI can build an APPX already (including a plugin for the open source WiX toolset and recent versions of many of the most used commercial options). APPX still encourages UWP apps, but the Desktop Bridge exists for Win32 Desktop applications. For Win32 Desktop applications there is still a small sandbox, but think of it along the lines of "Docker container". The container is there mostly to make install/uninstall clean and reproducible. Win32 applications are otherwise "full privilege" applications to the APIs they used before. The Desktop Bridge stuff itself is partly open source, but definitely not portable, you can download the Desktop App Converter for free on Windows 10 [directly from the Windows Store] and it will Docker-esque use mini-Windows containers to run an existing EXE/MSI install and try to capture what it installs into an APPX package. I don't think it currently supports installing Win32 services directly, and it definitely doesn't support things like kernel drivers. The focus is mostly on desktop applications. UWP has a powerful background task model that is powerful enough to replace many uses of Win32 Windows services for desktop application needs, and the Desktop Bridge GitHub has samples of communicating between Win32 and UWP pieces. The full Win32 Office suite has been on the Windows Store in Preview for a couple months now, and it seems pretty clear to me that if Office can be bundled entirely in APPX than most other desktop applications don't have much excuse left.

slrz 9y ago
Thanks, looks useful for Desktop applications and being able to handle it with WiX is nice. Personally, I'm more interested in system-level programs for integrating Windows with some existing infrastructure.