How to Write a WinRT XAML Metro App on DevProConnections

Happy Monday, XAML lovers! For anyone who has been following along in the rumors space, things with Windows 8 are heating up and it looks like we may soon be seeing the "consumer preview", previously known as the Beta to us tech geeks. I for one welcome the proposed new Start button experience as well as anything else they manage to get into this next release (full disclosure, I was at Build and use that tablet almost as much as my work laptop... my iPad has become a glorified Kindle), especially if it has more developer goodness included.

Getting to my point, however, is that since we're getting ready for another release of the Win8/WinRT platform you had better be sure you are staying up to speed with the new WinRT development side of things... and conveniently we have another resource available to help jump-start your XAML development efforts! Last week our friends at DevProConnections published a new article by yours truly titled 'How to Write a WinRT XAML Metro App' which covers the getting started experience, different view modes, some of the default templates, and most importantly how you can leverage the skills you already have for Silverlight and WPF for developing WinRT XAML applications. Check it out and walk through writing your first WinRT XAML app!

And in case you were looking for more information on what Telerik is doing for Windows 8, we've created a page to highlight our support for the platform, to clear up some of the FUD around the Win8 rumor-mill, and to give you a look at how your current .Net development skills can still be leveraged and can even jump-start your development in Windows 8. We have also been doing our own research, as you can see in this post by Georgi on our Windows Phone team, and have some code running on one of those Build tablets as a proof of concept on this new platform. Don’t worry, we’ll be there when you start to seriously develop for Windows 8, it’s the Telerik way.

Stay tuned for more - we all know the Beta/Consumer Preview is coming soon for Windows 8, but while you wait for that go ahead and download the RadControls for Silverlight and/or WPF to help sharpen your XAML skills!