Anachostic

It was a little while ago I installed Windows 8 with great visions of developing Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 applications.  Because of an issue that I suspect was caused by Hybrid Sleep mode, I ended up rolling back to Windows 7.

That’s worked out well for me.  I continued to update my CarTracker Windows Phone 7 app for my use.  Meanwhile, I waited for the Windows Phone 7.8 update.  Since that doesn’t seem to be coming anymore, I went to T-Mobile and got myself a new Windows Phone 8.  It’s great.

So then I need to install my CarTracker app on my new phone.  I try to install the Windows Phone 8 SDK on my Windows 7 install.  Nope, you have to install it on Windows 8.  So I fire up my Windows 8 virtual machine and install Visual Studio 2012.  Then I try to install the Windows Phone 8 SDK.  Nope, you have to have a 64-bit install of Windows.  So then I scrap that VM and create a new VM, install Window 8 64-bit, install Visual Studio 2012, then the phone SDK.  That’s working now.

After getting VirtualBox talking to the phone (tip: enable USB 2.0), and getting the virtual machine to talk to TFS on my host PC (tip: bridged networking), I got the CarTracker source loaded.  Then I had to install 3rd party controls.  Finally, I could build and deploy the app.  But I couldn’t deploy to the phone, only to the emulator.  This was a simple mistake on my part. (tip: set the phone app as the startup project)

Before I converted the project to a Windows Phone 8 project, I wanted to branch the source code and get a working deployment on my old Windows Phone 7.  Windows Phone 7 requires the Zune software.  Zune software require .NET 3.5 (tip: install .NET 3.5 from Control Panel>Turn Windows Features On/Off).

It’s been many years since I’ve had to do so many steps to get something working.  This is like Linux-grade configuration and setup.  I’ve been so spoiled by well-working Windows software and such a degree of compatibility that this seems incredible.  And I think this behavior is encouraged.  Everything is all “disconnected” “loosely-connected” “loosely-coupled” whatever.  I don’t think, actually, I’ve very sure that if I wasn’t a programmer and that I hadn’t been here many years ago, when you had to take care of yourself, I would be lost.

Windows 8 is a huge gamble for Microsoft, much like XP was when there weren’t any drivers and DOS applications weren’t compatible anymore.  I guess in a couple years things will be good, but we’re in that painful time right now.  Windows Phone 7=Windows 7, Windows Phone 8=Windows 8.  Don’t try to mix them.