I successfully published my first JavaFX application on the Windows Store without any issues, and I thought others might be interested. The same principle should apply to Xojo applications, even though I don’t care about that aspect.
The only issue I encountered was when I uploaded screenshots from macOS; Microsoft didn’t seem to appreciate that. However, the error message was unclear. “Please only upload Windows UI metadata” didn’t immediately make me think of “Windows OS,” at least not for me.
The process takes a similar amount of time as Apple’s, but Microsoft appears to conduct less testing of the program or its functionality. For instance, my internal app has a password-protected area, and I didn’t even need to share the credentials.
There are several impressive features of the Windows Store. On one hand, it offers automatic updates, so you don’t have to worry about that anymore. On the other hand, Microsoft handles the signing process (you only have to pay 20 EUR for a developer account). Additionally, the store provides the option for apps to be listed privately, meaning only someone with the link can access the app.
It’s a pity that I’m so productive with Java … and yesterday Jetbrains included AI into their beta IDEs … I’m so busy I’ll probably even miss Xojo’s funeral feast
yes, especially as Xojo’s natural intelligence is unique, unbeatable and free of charge. (I like the German “kostenlos” verus “umsonst”, not sure if we can translate this to English, but “NI” is “umsonst” )
For the non-German speakers: both German words have the same meaning: “doesn’t cost money”, but “umsonst” has a second meaning: not worth the money, for the birds etc.
As I wrote on the other thread, not yet. I tried but got some push back from them in regards of inital loading time. But I’m aware of people who have JavaFX apps in the store. There are ways to bypass the initial short delay of 200-300ms (on the slowest possible Macs which Apple uses for those tests) to launch the Java Virtual machine. It is very easy to generate a Launcher screen with some progress bar in Java, or you could use Swift, Rust, Go whatever to create a similar “wrapper”.
As none of my customers is working with macOS it is not my target at all. Actually hidden apps in the Windows store is my target. But I won’t give up on macOS as I want to learn it, but is just something I will do in my leisure time, sometimes … the somehow ridiculous and time consuming processes in the Apple Store are just not really a big motivator …
What I can already tell right now: I won’t write a tutorial for the macOS Store
BTW generally speaking, if you don’t mind a paid version, this is a great tool too:
IMHO it is fairly priced for many users, but not in my case. As we have tons of very small tools, plus I dislike to pay for something which I can do on my own, but it safes time, no doubts. But regarding macOS => look at upvotes since 2022 …
That corresponds to my assessment. The Apple Store for macOS apps is rather dead for smaller development houses or indie developers. Because it is too easy to monetize the macOS apps in other ways, which is not (yet) possible with iOS, even if an EU lawsuit was successful.
Many of the larger app makers that are in the Apple Store are begging you to buy the software from their website and get either goodies or a discount.
jPackage creates pkgs or optionally DMGs out-of-the-box.
With iOS you can still tolerate the nagging from Apple during the review, with desktop apps it gets extremely annoying very quickly .
A brief explanation, particularly for future readers: CsvToXlsx Converters are Jeannot’s version of “Hello World”
I have been creating converters like this on every platform I test for a very long time. Why? Because I believe it’s a more effective way to evaluate the capabilities of a language and its ecosystem. These are the key aspects I examine:
Libraries for Microsoft Office
Local databases for storing settings
GUI elements for file dialogs
Performance and threading
App menus
Various UI components
Layout managers, etc. - you get the idea …
However, this means that these apps hold little to no value for end-users. If you find them useful, it’s purely coincidental, as I also utilize these programs to test new features.
For instance, with the Windows Store, I can currently establish a password-protected area without disclosing the password to Microsoft during the release process (yes, it’s possible - not with the Apple Store, though). Can I check for updates myself in the Windows Store? Yes, it works, but not for apps in the Apple Store, etc.
In a nutshell: please don’t expect the program to be particularly useful for you, and if it is, don’t anticipate updates to keep it functional. It is what it is: my testing environment ;-), nothing more - nothing less. That’s why I originally didn’t post the link to the Store …
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