News

Windows 10 App Compatibility List Site Goes Live

• By Kurt Mackie
• 06/09/2016

A new Web site from Microsoft that checks to see if an app is compatible with Windows 10 is now available.

The new Ready for Windows site is also a resource for independent software developers, allowing them to broadcast app compatibility. ISVs have to sign up in order to list their applications as Windows 10 compatible, as described in Microsoft's announcement.

The Ready for Windows site has a search box to find specific software company listings, as well as a "full directory" drop-down list. At press time, about 134 ISVs and their Windows 10-compatible apps were listed.

Microsoft's controversial Get Windows 10 (GWX) app is also capable of flagging applications that may be incompatible with Windows 10. Getting a list via the GWX app seems to require going through a few steps, though, which are described here.

Windows 10 is described as being compatible with both classic Win32 applications, as well as so-called "modern" Windows Universal Apps.

Microsoft Edge Policies
Also this week, Microsoft announced this list of policies for enterprises managing the Microsoft Edge browser. Edge and Internet Explorer 11 both are available for use with Windows 10.

The Edge management policies include capabilities such as configuring the password manager, popup blocker and the Enterprise Mode Site List, among others. Enterprise Mode is Microsoft's scheme for ensuring Web app and intranet site compatibility, allowing IT pros to specify the optimal browser to use.

The Edge browser policies can be used as mobile device management settings and as Group Policy settings. The management capabilities that will be available will depend upon which Windows 10 branch an organization is using, as described in this Microsoft TechNet article. Microsoft plans to add even more Edge management capabilities with coming Windows 10 "anniversary update" release, which is expected to arrive sometime this summer.

New Windows Insider Release
Microsoft also announced a new Windows 10 test preview this week for its Windows Insider program participants in the so-called "fast ring" release cycle. The fast-ring testers get the less stable builds, which aren't production environment ready.

A highlight of this Windows Insider release is the ability to test native Docker integration on Windows 10 for building Hyper-V Containers on Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5. Microsoft also enabled a LastPass password management extension in Microsoft Edge with this preview, according to the announcement by Dona Sarkar.

Sarkar recently took charge of Microsoft's Windows Insider program announcements. Gabriel Aul had previously handled those communications.