(From Admin): Please take this poll

[brad jones]

Please answer the following question, which is super simple. If you answer that you are familiar, I'd be interested in hearing thoughts or opinions.

If you have used it, please let me know (via a post here, a PM, or an email to webmaster----AT----VBForums.com) what topics you've used it for.

Thanks!

Brad!

[dday9]

Yay, first to answer, but no I haven't :[

[brad jones]

Thanks! I expect most answers to be "no"

[Jenner]

Yes, I've heard of it. As I understand it, it's essentially an "App store" for computers run by Microsoft. Developers develop software, use the MPR services to upload and test it appropriately, and can then market it. End users via either a client download or natively built into Windows 8, can browse, buy, install and maintain their computer's software through it... similar to how Steam currently handles games.

If I'm way off the mark, then I'd like to be set straight as it's really hard wading through all the marketing BS speak sometimes to find out exactly what things are. If it is what I think it is though, I'm fairly excited at the prospect; but will probably not sign up as a developer since I don't market any of my own software.

[brad jones]

You're not quite right -- but I'm not trying to drive anyone over to it right now, I'm just trying to get a pulse of who has heard of it. We are actually working on an article that will post in the near future saying what it is.

Brad!

[ident]

I did read a small article a little while ago and was quite interested but it went completely out of my mind until now seeing this thread.

I may have completely miss understood the small article but from what i gathered it kind of reminded me of schemes they do here in the UK. If some body has a business idea but can't quite fund it or need free help and advice to get thing's up and running they can go to this free(can't remember what is called) scheme and get all the support they need. I then remember something about getting your application certified? Maybe i am getting that mixed up with some thing else but a general impression i got was complete support start to finish with an application being released?

Probably miles off but that's my memory for you

[brad jones]

Actually, you guys are pretty close to what MPR is doing.

[Vladamir]

My answer to the poll was no, I have not submitted an app. I know very little about the app world and prefer to leave it to others who enjoy those kinds of things. Like at this very moment my son is celebrating his 13th birthday with his friends and they have taken over the living room and my big screen TV with Playstation3 games. The games look very cool, but I just can't now nor never have been able to drum up an interest in them. Now give me a challenge like the current work assignment I'm on which is to build a bridge between the old Excel spreadsheets and AutoCAD so the data feeds straight out to the CNC machines where we make thousands of parts and sell them for very nice margins, which put more money in my paycheck....and I'm all attention. It's just my style....from a non-app kind of guy. Or let's just say my apps are of a different nature.

[brad jones]

Now give me a challenge like the current work assignment I'm on which is to build a bridge between the old Excel spreadsheets and AutoCAD so the data feeds straight out to the CNC machines....<snip>. Or let's just say my apps are of a different nature.

I'd say yoru apps are just of a different nature....

[dhilip81]

what is this...?

[brad jones]

Here is a link to it: Microsoft Platform Ready

We are posting an article on Developer.com related to this tonight or tomorrow. I'll link to it once it is up:

Don't Do Azure Cloud (or any Development) on Your Own!

We worked with Microsoft on this. One of my comments to them was that a lot of people (most) have never heard of MPR.

This is likely to prove my point....

[riteshjain1982]

is it a broader version of Microsoft Virtiual machine?? where QC certificate will be issued by MS instead of our testing team

[mesersmith]

no, i didn't.

[Waxy]

Microsoft Platform Ready (MPR) is designed to give you
what you need to plan, build, test and take your solution to
market. We’ve brought a range of platform development tools
together in one place, including technical, support and marketing
resources, as well as exclusive offers.

sound like a Visual Studio with MSDN subscription and a community base like a MSDN Forums with MSDN Experts.

if there is something different between that above and MPR then it's lost in translation to me.

Nope, haven't herd of it. voted no.

[moti barski]

some questions :

1 what is Microsoft Platform Ready's privacy policy ?
2 what is ( if there is ) the payment procedure to the programmer (developer) ?
3 is there a reacurring or any fee to be paid by the developer ?
4 are there uploads that would result in deletion by the mpr ?
5 what are the benefits, regarding the ease, in which the end user finds the uploaded apps using search engines ?

btw, I read the entire article and some of its branching links, but still I have no firm grasp of what azure is other then a place that stuff gets uploaded to.

[Radjesh Klauke]

Never heard of it. Seems to me another way for MS to earn more money (and why not btw)
Seems to me that people with small budget will never get a change. Besides that I still don't understand what it actually is. Something like "Steam"?

[Ragnoth]

just signed up.

[kevininstructor]

I have heard of MPR before but did not go past reading about it at the site. One reason for not going deeper is my current job (type of projects) would not gain anything from using the services offered.

[brad jones]

Thanks everyone for taking the poll. I appreciate the feedback.

Brad

[ne0_b0mb3r]

If it kind of works like Steam, does that mean you can develop a cool app and 'sell' it through this so called App Store?

[ThomasJohnsen]

Never heard of the thing. So that's another vote to convince MS that you're right BJ.