Build 2023 is a flagship event that Microsoft holds primarily for developers and enterprise customers on an annual basis. Although the Windows on Arm development community isn’t particularly huge, Microsoft continues to add new features to entice more developers to build native apps for the platform. This has resulted in some stellar apps over the years, with the Redmond tech giant even implementing the ability to run a Hyper-V virtual machine with Windows 11 directly on Arm-based devices just yesterday. At its Build conference starting today, the firm has introduced the arrival of lots of native apps to Windows on Arm.
Microsoft’s latest initiative of having more apps run natively on Arm-based hardware has seen the release of a bunch of popular third-party apps and open-source software on Windows on Arm. This includes Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) support for Arm in Visual Studio 17.6, it is important to note that Visual Studio itself runs natively on Windows on Arm already. On a related note, Visual Studio 17.71 Preview 1 also features support for Linux development through C++.
Similarly, for developers who utilize LLVM, version 12.0 and onwards of the software touts cross-compile and native compile capabilities for Arm. Node developers will also be happy to know that version 20.0.0 of the platform features native Arm support. Additionally, native installers for Arm can now be created through the latest version of WiX installer. Those who leverage Skylim’s AI-powered photo editing software Luminar Neo on Arm hardware can also check out the latest release of the software in the Microsoft Store, as it packs native support for Arm.
All the aforementioned software is now available in preview for developers to try out today. However, Unity Player is slated for a native Windows on Arm release in June. This will be ideal for game developers who want to target this particular platform to increase the performance of their existing and upcoming titles running on the hardware.