VoxCommando Universal Windows Platform Version

[MetaCode]

James,

Good evening.

For a while now Microsoft has been putting forth effort to entice and assist developers in migrating from developing their software for Win32 to the new UWP app platform. A portion of developers have made the move to UWP and a portion are holding fast in Win32. I am not a developer myself but from what I can tell via various online publications, the reasons for this vary from technical restrictions/considerations of the new UWP app platform, waiting to see what everyone else will do, or if Microsoft will abandon the new app platform altogether.

Several months ago, rumors started appearing about two new projects that Microsoft is working on in the realm of software and hardware. Project Polaris and Project Andromeda. For information on each project (for those interested) please see below.

• Project Polaris - https://www.windowscentral.com/understanding-windows-core-os-and-polaris
• Project Andromeda - https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-andromeda-everything-we-know-so-far

Both of these projects represent Microsoft's efforts to create a new market for their hardware offerings and an appropriate user experience to compliment it. This new user experience will primarily cater to UWP apps but doesn't quite abandon Win32 applications. I don't feel these projects are vaporware because it was Microsoft's intention all along to create a universal user experience across multiple device form factors when they first released Windows 10. Also, Microsoft has been showing a clear adoption of more mobile friendly technologies with each upgrade of Windows 10 so it stands to reason that Win32 will reach its limits in the not so distant future.

May I ask if you have any plans on evolving VoxCommando to a UWP app by re-writing it or convert it using the Desktop Bridge (Centennial)?

Thank you for your time in reading this lengthy post.

Sincerely,

MetaCode

[jitterjames]

VoxCommando will remain on Win32 for a number of reasons.

The two main reasons are that the 'U' in UWP, which is supposed to stand for "Universal" really stands for "Only works on Windows 10".  I'm not a fan of Windows 10 myself (actually that is quite an understatement) and would not want to force others to use the Windows 10 OS in order to use VoxCommando.  In my opinion the Win32 platform is really much more *universal* than UWP.

Also "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I really don't think the Win32 platform is going to disappear any time soon and in fact I would not be surprised if it outlived UWP.

I think it still makes sense to run VoxCommando on a desktop machine as opposed to a lightweight mobile platform and it relies on a full implementation of .NET anyway in order to use the speech recognition libraries provided by Microsoft so I'm not even sure if it could be ported to Windows Phone etc.

The other main reason is that that would be a great deal of work with little payoff assuming it's even possible.  I'm basically not making any money with VoxCommando and am currently focused primarily on maintaining the software and am not seeking to make any major changes that would cost me a lot of development time since there is no reason to expect that this time would ever be paid back in the form of new license sales.

Although I consider VoxCommando to be far superior to the other giant cloud based options out there, most people would much rather buy an Amazon Echo Dot or Google home device (or use a cracked version of VoxCommando) than to pay someone like me for a software package.  So my motivation to sink a large quantity of my time into development is just not there anymore.

The good news is that VC is still a very flexible and capable program in its current stage of development and I hope to continue supporting and maintaining the majority of its features for many years to come so those that have already invested in the product or those that want to adopt it will not be left in the lurch and should still be able to enjoy using VoxCommando for many years to come.  Users can also further extend VC with Python or by creating their own plugins.

VoxCommando currently runs on Windows 7, 8 and 10 and can also be used on some versions of Windows Server (with VoxCommando SP).  I intend to keep it that way rather than restricting myself and VC's users to Windows 10's UWP.

[MetaCode]

James,

Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate getting a deeper glimpse into your thoughts on VoxCommando and its future.

If I may, I would like to offer some counterpoints.

The two main reasons are that the 'U' in UWP, which is supposed to stand for "Universal" really stands for "Only works on Windows 10".  I'm not a fan of Windows 10 myself (actually that is quite an understatement) and would not want to force others to use the Windows 10 OS in order to use VoxCommando.  In my opinion the Win32 platform is really much more *universal* than UWP.

The state of Windows 10 doesn't quite sit well with me either. The suggestion of going UWP was to prepare for the possible shift away from Win32. Granted, I don't have a crystal ball that will tell me that is going to happen for sure but it was worth mentioning since I care about your prosperity and the future of VoxCommando.

Also "if it ain't broke don't fix it". I really don't think the Win32 platform is going to disappear any time soon and in fact I would not be surprised if it outlived UWP.

Microsoft is motivated to move developers away from Win32 for various reasons ranging from security enhancements, corrections to mistakes they made in the past, compliance with new UI/UX design changes that fit Windows 10's new mobile friendly philosophy, inclusion of app in Microsoft Store. How far they are willing to go to make this a reality, I cannot say. Right now it seems like they are trying to put the genie back in the bottle and it seems unlikely they will succeed but never say never.

I think it still makes sense to run VoxCommando on a desktop machine as opposed to a lightweight mobile platform and it relies on a full implementation of .NET anyway in order to use the speech recognition libraries provided by Microsoft so I'm not even sure if it could be ported to Windows Phone etc.

Project Polaris involves modularizing the Windows operating system in a yet undisclosed way. I don't believe Microsoft is going to make a lightweight mobile platform in the same sense as Windows 10 Mobile. Having already failed at making Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile a success, my gut tells me that they are probably going to introduce a more robust modularization system which would allow the addition or subtraction of components like various .NET frameworks. Perhaps they are "borrowing" some wisdom from the Linux world (e.g. Arch Linux) and trimming Windows' fat even more than what was done in the past. If that is the case, then you would have a new market of mobile PCs that you could capitalize on. It may be possible to do that and continue to provide your software to legacy OSes.

The other main reason is that that would be a great deal of work with little payoff assuming it's even possible.  I'm basically not making any money with VoxCommando and am currently focused primarily on maintaining the software and am not seeking to make any major changes that would cost me a lot of development time since there is no reason to expect that this time would ever be paid back in the form of new license sales.

Although I consider VoxCommando to be far superior to the other giant cloud based options out there, most people would much rather buy an Amazon Echo Dot or Google home device (or use a cracked version of VoxCommando) than to pay someone like me for a software package.  So my motivation to sink a large quantity of my time into development is just not there anymore.

I am saddened to hear that VoxCommando is not bearing the financial fruit you would like it to. Your software is one of the few that offers the type of enhancement to Windows' built-in voice recognition capability that, if harnessed the right way by the user, could be a HUGE productivity booster. You certainly deserve to be making more money from this wonderful software.

Although I can't blame you for not wanting to put in any additional effort towards major changes, I encourage you to reflect on your words about how you see VoxCommando to be far superior than the Cortanas, Alexas, Google Assistants of the world. I completely agree with you and that, I feel, is the key to your success in this age of virtual digital assistants. These cloud based assistants may have the resources and marketing to make them appear useful, but I feel they are all missing a key focus. They all lack the ability to help users in a lot of the moment to moment tasks that occur on a PC. Not to mention getting them to do anything new requires advanced level programming that will alienate most users. I feel your software is closer to the goldilocks zone of where virtual digital assistants should be. A robust and easy to understand/use macro system and numerous plugins that extend its capabilities accordingly. If I may be so bold, those big companies should be taking their cue from you and what you have done with VoxCommando.

Please know that my counterpoints are not objections to your stated direction of the future of your software. More like food for thought for the future and a chance to send some encouragement and praise to you.

Thank you for wanting to keep VoxCommando alive for a long time to come. I appreciate all your work and energy.

Sincerely,

MetaCode

[jitterjames]

Thanks MetaCode.  I appreciate your feedback and compliments. 

Rest assured that I have many motivations to keep VoxCommando going, even if it's not to make very much money.  Apart from a feeling of loyalty to those who have supported the project over the years, I also use VoxCommando every day myself and intend to keep on doing that for a long time to come.

If it ever becomes absolutely necessary to move VC to a new platform (I still believe this is a long way off) and it can be done without massive code rewriting then I will certainly consider it, and if I'm not willing to do it myself at that time, I may consider enlisting the aid of others.

For the moment I see no benefit.

[MetaCode]

James,

You are very welcome.

Thank you for the dialog and the opportunity to learn more about you.

Sincerely,

MetaCode