6 ms·

Office for Windows (WIN32) will be an Electron app? I have no words. edit, since there seems to be some confusion: I am explicitly talking about the WIN32 vari

by rbinv 8y ago

Office for Windows (WIN32) will be an Electron app? I have no words. edit, since there seems to be some confusion: I am explicitly talking about the WIN32 variant, which he confirmed to be based on Electron.

vesak 8y ago
"No they are not electron apps. They are compiled to native code. It's now finally one toolchain(#webpack) It's one codebase and it compiles to: Web Android IOS MacOS UWP WIN32 (only one that uses electron) 7:52 AM · Jun 13, 2018" https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/1006761134395834368 https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/100676113439583...
- rbinv 8y ago
  He says so in another tweet/reply.
  - rising-sky 8y ago
    link?
    - rbinv 8y ago
      See above (last line).
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
- awinder 8y ago
  comment seems to be saying -- in modern windows (UWP) it'll be using native code, but microsoft is taking the easy path on win32. i guess some people are surprised that despite years of telling people that win32 is going away microsoft is finally making good. but I am not, I'm more excited than anything at another good sign that Microsoft is finally done with legacy windows.
  - wvenable 8y ago
    > Microsoft is finally done with legacy windows. It's kind of sad; all the good stuff I use is basically legacy Windows. None of what Microsoft has done since Windows 7 has appealed to me.
    - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
      Yeah, it's all been less functional and slower. That's the future of computing now.
  - emodendroket 8y ago
    Hell, I hate all my old software just working too. I'd much rather get half-baked versions of everything that don't have all the same features.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Maarten88 8y ago
From what I understand they are using React Native. I too find it hard to believe they would drop the native Windows and OSX versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, for apps written in React Native. But Microsoft has offered many surprises lately...
- Dinux 8y ago
  We're talking 50M SLOC and 20+ years of development for native platforms. I highly doubt that they will let that go in favor of an JS app.
  - rubidium 8y ago
    Outlook on the web is certainly better than the application on windows... word won't be too hard. Now excel, that's the one I'd be surprised to see.
    - catmanjan 8y ago
      Try doing a mail merge in owa
  - imtringued 8y ago
    If they can charge for a subscription they will let all of that go in favor of an JS app.
rxdazn 8y ago
Not an electron app https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/1006770778153549828 https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/100677077815354...
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- titanix2 8y ago
  Not totally true because: > WIN32 (only one that uses electron) which happens to be the version most people use.
ealexhudson 8y ago
This isn't Office for Windows the suite. WIN32 is a platform they're not really supporting any more, I think they're basically saying if you're on WIN32 then you're getting the web version in future, not the real deal.
maaark 8y ago
Nah it's fine, just upgrade to Win10 and buy your license through the windows store! UWP isn't using electron! What's that? Win32 a second class citizen? Never!
- jessaustin 8y ago
  Isn't it about time? The "32" ought to be a clue...
  - gruez 8y ago
    So? When were the POSIX APIs designed? Probably before 16 bit was common. By that logic we should migrate off that as well.
    - Redoubts 8y ago
      Yeah, probably.
    - the_trapper 8y ago
      In all fairness there are a fair number of POSIX APIs that are dangerous and need to be deprecated and removed.
- cm2187 8y ago
  UWP doesn't run on win7. If you think getting rid of WinXP was hard, wait to see the phasing out of Win7. If you write for the desktop, chances are you are writing an internal app. Lots of large enterprises (including my present employer) just switched to Win7. Win10 is a looong way ahead. A significant part of your userbase won't be able to touch a UWP app for a long time.
  - atesti 8y ago
    I wish Win10 never happened, but: How does your employer aquire hardware for win7? We have trouble buying Thinkpads that still run win7. It was a very smart move of MS to kill newer chipsets :-( If they hadn't done that, win10 would have completely tanked
seba_dos1 8y ago
The whole thread and all later clarifications just look like a guy spewing random stuff loosely related with what he's working on at Microsoft. There's not much meaningful information to take from there.
IMcD23 8y ago
I’m an engineer in Office. This is not the case. The desktop app’s are fully native, and will remain so. They utilize React Native for a few components, but otherwise are written in C & C++.
- 4ad 8y ago
  Thanks for clarifying this nonsense. So, what the hell was this guy tweeting about?
  - contextfree 8y ago
    In my experience most people in Microsoft have only a vague idea of what other teams are doing, even when none of it is really secret. If Office is starting to adopt React Native for some of its new UI components, and meanwhile there's a lot of work happening on the Office 365 web portal and Office web apps, internal telephone rumor circulation can morph that into "all of Office is being rewritten in javascript"
    - exikyut 8y ago
      Hmm. Whoever makes the first neural model capable of returning interesting insights after being installed in the telephone switchboard/backbone is going to have a most unique life. Edit: Just realized ISPs have probably been trying to do this for years. I'm talking about the first individual. It'll probably happen routinely in 20 years or so.
      - contextfree 8y ago
        I was referring to the metaphorical game of "telephone", not literal telephones.
    - not_kurt_godel 8y ago
      Nobody who truly participated in or contributed to the "complete" rewriting of Office in JS would be capable of expressing the positive emotions the subject of OP does...their soul would have been drained of the capacity to express joy long before the project would be completed. The tone smacks of the delusional cluelessness that MSFT's culture seems to uniquely foster.

by rbinv 8y ago

vesak 8y ago

"No they are not electron apps. They are compiled to native code. It's now finally one toolchain(#webpack) It's one codebase and it compiles to: Web Android IOS MacOS UWP WIN32 (only one that uses electron) 7:52 AM · Jun 13, 2018" https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/1006761134395834368 https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/100676113439583...

rbinv 8y ago
He says so in another tweet/reply.
- rising-sky 8y ago
  link?
  - rbinv 8y ago
    See above (last line).
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
awinder 8y ago
comment seems to be saying -- in modern windows (UWP) it'll be using native code, but microsoft is taking the easy path on win32. i guess some people are surprised that despite years of telling people that win32 is going away microsoft is finally making good. but I am not, I'm more excited than anything at another good sign that Microsoft is finally done with legacy windows.
- wvenable 8y ago
  > Microsoft is finally done with legacy windows. It's kind of sad; all the good stuff I use is basically legacy Windows. None of what Microsoft has done since Windows 7 has appealed to me.
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
    Yeah, it's all been less functional and slower. That's the future of computing now.
- emodendroket 8y ago
  Hell, I hate all my old software just working too. I'd much rather get half-baked versions of everything that don't have all the same features.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

Maarten88 8y ago

From what I understand they are using React Native. I too find it hard to believe they would drop the native Windows and OSX versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, for apps written in React Native. But Microsoft has offered many surprises lately...

Dinux 8y ago
We're talking 50M SLOC and 20+ years of development for native platforms. I highly doubt that they will let that go in favor of an JS app.
- rubidium 8y ago
  Outlook on the web is certainly better than the application on windows... word won't be too hard. Now excel, that's the one I'd be surprised to see.
  - catmanjan 8y ago
    Try doing a mail merge in owa
- imtringued 8y ago
  If they can charge for a subscription they will let all of that go in favor of an JS app.

rxdazn 8y ago

Not an electron app https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/1006770778153549828 https://mobile.twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/100677077815354...

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
titanix2 8y ago
Not totally true because: > WIN32 (only one that uses electron) which happens to be the version most people use.

ealexhudson 8y ago

This isn't Office for Windows the suite. WIN32 is a platform they're not really supporting any more, I think they're basically saying if you're on WIN32 then you're getting the web version in future, not the real deal.

maaark 8y ago

Nah it's fine, just upgrade to Win10 and buy your license through the windows store! UWP isn't using electron! What's that? Win32 a second class citizen? Never!

jessaustin 8y ago
Isn't it about time? The "32" ought to be a clue...
- gruez 8y ago
  So? When were the POSIX APIs designed? Probably before 16 bit was common. By that logic we should migrate off that as well.
  - Redoubts 8y ago
    Yeah, probably.
  - the_trapper 8y ago
    In all fairness there are a fair number of POSIX APIs that are dangerous and need to be deprecated and removed.
cm2187 8y ago
UWP doesn't run on win7. If you think getting rid of WinXP was hard, wait to see the phasing out of Win7. If you write for the desktop, chances are you are writing an internal app. Lots of large enterprises (including my present employer) just switched to Win7. Win10 is a looong way ahead. A significant part of your userbase won't be able to touch a UWP app for a long time.
- atesti 8y ago
  I wish Win10 never happened, but: How does your employer aquire hardware for win7? We have trouble buying Thinkpads that still run win7. It was a very smart move of MS to kill newer chipsets :-( If they hadn't done that, win10 would have completely tanked

seba_dos1 8y ago

The whole thread and all later clarifications just look like a guy spewing random stuff loosely related with what he's working on at Microsoft. There's not much meaningful information to take from there.

IMcD23 8y ago

I’m an engineer in Office. This is not the case. The desktop app’s are fully native, and will remain so. They utilize React Native for a few components, but otherwise are written in C & C++.

4ad 8y ago
Thanks for clarifying this nonsense. So, what the hell was this guy tweeting about?
- contextfree 8y ago
  In my experience most people in Microsoft have only a vague idea of what other teams are doing, even when none of it is really secret. If Office is starting to adopt React Native for some of its new UI components, and meanwhile there's a lot of work happening on the Office 365 web portal and Office web apps, internal telephone rumor circulation can morph that into "all of Office is being rewritten in javascript"
  - exikyut 8y ago
    Hmm. Whoever makes the first neural model capable of returning interesting insights after being installed in the telephone switchboard/backbone is going to have a most unique life. Edit: Just realized ISPs have probably been trying to do this for years. I'm talking about the first individual. It'll probably happen routinely in 20 years or so.
    - contextfree 8y ago
      I was referring to the metaphorical game of "telephone", not literal telephones.
  - not_kurt_godel 8y ago
    Nobody who truly participated in or contributed to the "complete" rewriting of Office in JS would be capable of expressing the positive emotions the subject of OP does...their soul would have been drained of the capacity to express joy long before the project would be completed. The tone smacks of the delusional cluelessness that MSFT's culture seems to uniquely foster.