14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released new Windows 10 virtual machines on the Developer Center, providing us with an updated arsenal of tools to code without the need for a license.
Specifically, the new virtual machines, which are available in Hyper-V, Parallels, VirtualBox and VMWare versions, come with an evaluation license for Windows 10 Enterprise Anniversary Update that will expire on May 21 this year.
The new evaluation pack includes the aforementioned Windows 10 image, as well as Visual Studio 2015 Community Update 3 (Build 14.0.25425.01), Windows developer SDK and tools (Build 14393), Microsoft Azure SDK for .NET (Build 2.9.6), Windows UWP samples (Feb 2017 Update), and Bash on Ubuntu on Windows.
The company is also offering a non-evaluation version of the Windows 10 image, but this requires a license for the operating system, so additional costs would be involved. The pack has approximately 20 GB in size, and completing the download takes some time, and so does installation.
The UWP effort
Microsoft’s pack of virtual machines and developer tools are specifically aimed at those who want to join the universal app platform effort and create apps that can run on all Windows 10 devices. This is actually part of Microsoft’s push to bring more developers to Windows 10, as it wants universal apps to address the lack of apps in the Windows Store and thus tackle more than just PCs at the same time.
“Start building Universal Windows Platform apps quickly using a virtual machine. Start coding sooner with a virtual machine prepped for Windows 10 development. It has the latest versions of Windows, the developer tools, SDKs, and samples ready to go,” Microsoft says.
“If you just want to try out Windows 10 and UWP, use the free evaluation version of the VMs. This will expire after a pre-determined amount of time. However, if you want a VM that won't expire, choose the licensed version and add your Windows license key.”
Universal apps are essential for Microsoft’s Windows 10 vision, and the company is currently working on a dedicated SKU called Windows 10 Cloud that would be specifically restricted to Store apps, so it’s no wonder that more developers are needed to join this effort.