What you need to know
- WinUI 3.0 is now available in alpha preview.
- This version of WinUI tears down developer barriers, giving all dves access to native features and controls.
- More previews are expected in 2020 for Windows 10 desktop and Windows 10X.
At its Ignite 2019 conference today, Microsoft announced that the next version of its Windows UI library, WinUI 3.0, has entered the alpha preview stage.
This updated version of WinUI is meant to operate as a full UI stack for every Windows developer. With it, developers will get access to the same native controls and features in the UWP XAML framework for any Windows app. That includes Win32 apps, covering even .NET Core developers who work in native C++.
The result of all of this is that Windows 10's native UI controls and features will be separated from the UWP SDK and expanded to all developers. Every app will now just be a "Windows app," without requiring developers to repackage their apps for UWP to gain access to these controls and features.
Developers who want to get an early look at this full-stack UI solution can now give it a try. In 2020, Microsoft says that more previews for Windows 10 desktop and Windows 10X, the OS that will power Surface Neo and other dual-screen devices, will become available.
