Notch Won't Certify Minecraft For Windows 8

MojoKid writes "The backlash against Windows 8 from various developers continues, but this time a game's creator isn't just expressing discontent. Notch, the developer behind smash hit Minecraft, has declared that he won't be working with Microsoft to certify Minecraft for Windows 8. Note that this doesn't mean Minecraft won't run on Windows 8. The certification process in question is Microsoft's mandatory rules for submitting content to the Windows game store. In order to be listed there, an application must be Metro-compatible and conform to a laundry list of other conditions. The real problem with Windows 8 is that it locks ARM users into a second class experience. If you buy an x86 tablet, you can download programs from SourceForge, GitHub, or any file mirror. If you're an ARM user, you can download programs from the Microsoft store and that's it. The bifurcated permission structure is the problem, and it makes WinRT tablets categorically impossible to recommend for anyone who values the ability to install whatever software they please."

You would think

[wbr1]

That Ballmer would understand that a large portion of windows past success was due in part to the fact that software for the system was available anywhere. Now upon porting to a new platform, he wants to emulate apples walled garden, which only worked because of vendor lock in and the desirbility of the device. It won't work. Android is proving that an open market gains more market share. With at least 3 other options (iOS, Android, and regular windows), users will likely stick with those platforms unless tricked or forced, and MS doesnt have the power in the mobile market to force.
So now there are at least 2 aspects of Win8 that should fail, the interface, and the locked down ARM version
Disclaimer: Sent from android phone.

Re:How is this different than any other tablet?

[gravyface]

Slashdot needs an edit feature. You're right. My bad. Had a different train of thought originally.

Re:Shut up Notch

[Anonymous Coward]

So yes, he did develop the main base game by himself

INFINIMINER EXISTED
Just thought you should know that... Educate yourself. That's all I have to say to you.

Re:Why is there an official Minecraft for iOS?

[SilenceBE]

The only way to distribute Metro apps (x86 or ARM) is via the Windows store. "Side loading" (with is just a funky name for installing Metro apps outside the windows store) is only available for Windows enterprise and server editions. See http://richfrombechtle.wordpress.com/tag/windows-8-sideloading/ [wordpress.com] or google for "sideloading windows 8"

I don't know you guys that are talking about tablets got the memo that Windows 8 also (unfortunately) runs on the desktop.

This is a path that goes a lot further then Apple as I'm still able to install software freely on my Apple desktop. With Windows also, but not the new Metro apps they are trying to push or I should run the enterprise version.

Re:WinRT is dead in the water

[bertok]

no significant loss of features aside from backward compatibility itself

That's a common misconception perpetuated by clever marketing, but it's flat out wrong.

Metro/WinRT is not Win32 modernized, instead it is Silverlight 6 Tablet Edition.

It's severely sandboxed, even more in some ways than Silverlight 5 was, which means that really important things that a lot of common applications require just Don't Work At All, and can't be made to work unless Microsoft relents and releases Windows 9 with a newer, more permissive API.

To give you an idea of just how restricted Metro/WinRT apps are, they're prevented from communicating with Desktop apps and traditional local services. That means that there's no shared memory, no named pipes, no Windows event passing, not even "localhost" sockets! Really major things can't be done, like runtime code generation (JIT), which directly impacts applications like Firefox and Chrome. Statically compiling Java code may work for some apps, but not if dynamic class loading is required.

Put yourself in the shoes of an Enterprise developer: Message Queues? Missing. LDAP? Nope. Background services? Blocked. Oracle client? Hah! Local database? Can't connect. Group Policy? Unavailable. PowerShell Integration? Desktop only.

Try this from a games developer's perspective: OpenCL? No JIT. PhysX? Can't talk to the driver. OpenGL? Over Ballmer's dead body.

Notch/Slashdot misunderstanding?

[strejf]

So Rafael Rivera made a blog post about this, claiming that Notch might have misunderstood why Microsoft contacted him. According to him all they asked Notch to do was to certify Minecraft so that it could be listed in the Windows 8 Store. Listed as in only displaying a link to www.minecraft.net. Nothing more, no app hosted by Microsoft or anything. Not converting Minecraft to an Metroapp. Just a link. I guess we don't know until Notch clears this up, but if it is true then this news article is wrong and most comments are wrong as well. http://www.withinwindows.com/2012/09/28/notch-doesnt-hate-windows-8-hes-just-confused/ [withinwindows.com]