14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Fluent Design is evolving in Windows 10, and the April 2018 Update itself is one huge step towards a complete transition to a new design language, but it looks like the software giant has bigger plans for the future.
The company said at the Build 2018 developer conference that Fluent Design would be expanded beyond the Microsoft Store to Win32 software, which means that developers can add acrylic and other effects to their programs even if they aren’t published in the Microsoft Store.
This should help Microsoft offer a modern experience across Windows 10 regardless of how adopters use it, as until now, the Fluent Design language has been limited entirely to Microsoft’s own apps, Windows 10 features, or apps published in the Microsoft Store.
First Win32 programs coming with Redstone 5?
Microsoft hasn’t provided too many details on how it plans to make this possible, but further information is expected in the second day of Build when Windows 10 would be a more discussed topic with developers.
“Updates helping you support the Fluent Design System, so you can create immersive, deeply engaging experiences with Microsoft’s updated design language. Now every organization can make beautiful solutions that empower your customers to do more. With UWP XAML Islands, you can access the more capable, flexible, powerful XAML controls regardless which UI stack you use—whether it’s Windows Forms, WPF, or native Win32,” the company says.
The next big release on Microsoft’s Windows roadmap is the Redstone 5 update in the fall, so there’s a chance that the company would start working with developers on this Fluent Design expansion to Win32 with the upcoming preview builds.
Of course, it’s a little too early to predict whether Win32 programs with Fluent Design would be ready for Windows 10 Redstone 5 in the fall, but it’s probably just a matter of how easy Microsoft makes it for developers to embrace the new design language outside the Microsoft Store.