Jim Allchin talks about developing on Vista

Jim Allchin is our Co-President of the Plaforms and Services Division and is pretty important when it comes to all things Windows Vista.  I was lucky enough to be in the audience when he gave a great demo of Vista at MGX (Microsoft's annual sales conference) - and it was clear he really knew his stuff.

He's written a letter to coders talking about the development opportunities that Windows Vista brings to the companies who write code for the Windows platform.  Some of the key points I picked out were:

• 200 million people will be using Vista in first 24 months of launch
• Even more development power with next version of Visual Studio code named "Orcas"
• 1000+ companies are engaged in the early adopter programmes, developing new applications based on Windows Vista, with some of them showcased here
• Big investment in making XP applications backward compatible with Vista, check out the Application Compatibility Cookbook for more information
• Make sure your apps carry the Certified for Windows Vista Logo

Things are really starting to gather pace with the developer eco-system and partner-built software on Windows Vista.  I'm getting lots of queries from our ISVs (Independant Software Vendors) about how they can take advantage and I keep pointing them towards the new and improved Windows Vista Developer Center where you can get all the information you need.

If you want to read Jim's letter in full you can see it here.

ISV Calls To Action:

• Download RC1
• Test your app for basic "Works With" compatability
• Meet the Certified logo requirements
• Update your apps to light up on Windows Vista

Technorati tags: ISV, Vista, Developer, Development