Microsoft has released the December 2016 edition of evaluation Windows Developer Virtual Machines (VM) on Windows Dev Center. It features some of the latest versions of the developer tools, SDKs, and samples.
Windows 10 Virtual Machines
The virtual machines has been released in 2 separate editions,
- Windows 10 Enterprise (Evaluation – Build 201610)
- Windows 10 Professional (Licensed – Build 201609)
The former version measures 20 GB in size and expires on 1/17/2017 while the latter VM install requires a Windows 10 Pro license (EN-US only).
The virtual machines allow you to build UWP apps that work on all Windows 10 devices — PCs, tablets, phones, and more. Universal Windows Platform or UWP are apps that work across all Windows 10 device types.
The tools required for developing these apps are offered by Visual Studio Community 2015 as SDKs and gives everything you need to build great apps. Moreover, these SDKs are available for free! The latest version of Windows Standalone SDK is version 10.0.14393.0.
It is essential to note that before you can write apps, you will need to enable Developer Mode on both your development PC, and on any devices on which you’ll test your code.
You can also learn how to design and code a UWP app that looks fantastic on all Windows 10-based devices by checking out Microsoft Developer Courses.
Other important information related to Instructions and code examples for all kinds of tasks, such as using geolocation services, transferring data over a network, and porting apps to Windows 10 can be found here.
As mentioned earlier, the lifespan of the free evaluation version of the virtual machine is limited and would expire after a stipulated period of time. If you would like to continue using the service, choose the licensed version and add your Windows license key.
For knowing what’s special in Windows developer virtual machines – December 2016 build, visit here.
