Today, during the Windows Developer Day event, Microsoft has announced a new app format. The format is called "MSIX file". It combines the features of Store apps and the classic MSI file packaging format. The new MSIX format will support all types of Windows apps including Desktop apps (Win32), .NET apps and Store (UWP) apps.
On the project's GitHub page you can find the following description of the product.
The MSIX Packaging SDK project is an effort to enable developers on a variety of platforms to pack and unpack packages for the purposes of distribution from either the Microsoft Store, or their own content distribution networks.
The MSIX Packaging APIs that a client app would use to interact with .msix/.appx packages are a subset of those documented here.
The official announcement describes the format as "The best technology for installing applications on Windows". According to Microsoft, it
- Inherits UWP features.
- Supports application customization.
- Has more container security options.
- Supports all Windows applications.
It will be supported in Microsoft Store and supports enterprise management as well. Microsoft is also open sourcing this format. You can learn more about MSIX from its GitHub page here. It features a lot of technical details, code samples and guides.
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