Microsoft announces Windows Package Manager Preview for Windows 10

    Microsoft announces Windows Package Manager Preview for Windows 10

    Microsoft announces Windows Package Manager Preview for Windows 10

    Windows Package Manager Client (winget)

    Last Updated: 19 May 2020 at 13:19

    We are thrilled to announce the Windows Package Manager preview!

    If you’re already familiar with what a package manager is, feel free to skip this paragraph. If you’re still reading, you’re going to love this! A package manager is designed to help you save time and frustration. Essentially, it is a set of software tools that help you automate the process of getting software on your machine. You specify which apps you want installed, and it does the work of finding the latest version (or the exact one you specified) and installing it on your machine.

    Just about every developer has wanted a native package manager in Windows. That day is finally here. You are going to be able to winget install your way to bliss. One of the best parts is that it is open source. I had to pinch myself when I was able to winget install terminal, and then winget install powershell, and then winget install powertoys. You get the idea, and If you do not see an app you use, just create a new manifest, and submit a pull request.



    When can I try it?

    As of today, the Windows Package Manager preview has been made open source. You can clone, build, run and test the code from the GitHub repository (GitHub - microsoft/winget-cli: Windows Package Manager CLI (aka winget)). There are other possibly easier ways to get your hands on it if that doesn’t sound appealing. Please continue reading.

    What functionality is included?

    You can install any app with a valid manifest (even local ones -- manifest). The command line client “winget.exe” is already pre-configured to point to the Microsoft community repository. That means you can install any package with a manifest that has been published.

    Have you ever had to completely re-install all your apps and tools on your PC? How long did it take? How did you remember where to go to find, download, and install all your editors & IDEs, languages & runtimes, source control tools, etc.?

    Did you enjoy it? Yeah, neither did we … which is why we created Windows Package Manager.

    Now you can install all your favorite apps & tools simply by typing winget install <foo> into your command-line. Or better still, you can create a script file that installs ALL your tools while you sit back enjoy a well-earned coffee break!”

    You can search for available packages and display information using the show command. There are also commands to help with manifest creation and validation (hash and validate). Once the first third-party repository is published, you will be able to add that repository as a source as well. We’re providing documentation at https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/package-manager and both of the GitHub repositories.



    How do I get it?

    We have provided three different ways for you to get your hands on the Windows Package Manager. If you are a Windows Insider, you may already have it. First, you can head over to the open source GitHub repository for the client. Second, you can join any of the Windows Insider rings. Third, you can join the Windows Package Manager Insider program by sending your Microsoft Account (MSA) to winget-feedback@microsoft.com and request to be included in the preview. Either of the Insider programs will ensure you automatically receive updates as we progress from preview to general availability. After you have joined either Insider program, head over to the Microsoft Store and get the App Installer. The Windows Package manager will be available after you get the update.



    Why not contribute to another open source package manager?

    We looked at several other package managers. There were several reasons leading us to create a new solution. One critical concern we had was how to build a repository of trusted applications. We are automatically checking each manifest. We leverage SmartScreen, static analysis, SHA256 hash validation and a few other processes to reduce the likelihood of malicious software making its way into the repository and onto your machine. Another key challenge was all the changes required to be able to deliver the client program as a native Windows application.

    Which versions of Windows will be supported?

    Windows Package Manager will support every Windows 10 version since the Fall Creators Update (1709)! The Windows Package Manager will be delivered with the Desktop App Installer when we ship version 1.0. If you are building software to run on Windows 10 you will have a simple way for your customers to install your software on billions of machines.

    But what about…

    We are expecting you have plenty of questions. What does this mean for the Windows store? It doesn’t mean anything for the Windows store. The Windows Package Manager is a command line interface, no marketing, no images, no commerce. Although we do plan on making those apps installable too.

    What about insert any other package manager here? We think they are great. If they want to leverage our repository of validated packages, they can. If they want to see how we are doing it, it is open source. We’re open to feedback and suggestions.

    We have already talked with a few of the well-known package manager teams. Chocolatey has a vibrant community with a massive collection of applications, and a rich history supporting both open source and enterprise customers. Scoop provides a convenient way to allow software to be installed without the UAC popups. Ninite keeps an eye on updates for all the apps it installed. There are many others like AppGet, Npackd and the PowerShell based OneGet package manager-manager.

    If you are happy with your current package manager, keep using it. Our goal is to make installing software on Windows better for everyone.

    What’s next?

    We have a long list of features we think you will like. Take a look at the list of issues we have already created on GitHub. Be sure to +1 any issues you feel strongly about. If you do not see something, and you would like us to consider it, just create a new issue.



    Demitrius Nelon


    Senior Program Manager


    Source: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/comma...nager-preview/

    See also: Windows Package Manager Client at GitHib
    Brink's Avatar Posted By: Brink
    19 May 2020


  1. Posts : 7,254
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       #1

    I find this exciting news. Would be nice if all software was delivered this way in the future.
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 27,157
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       #2

    Hopefully someone creates a GUI for it like Chocolatey.(choco install chocolateygui)
    Chocolatey Software | Chocolatey GUI 0.17.0
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 27,157
    Win11 Pro, Win10 Pro N, Win10 Home, Windows 8.1 Pro, Ubuntu
       #3

    Cliff S said:
    Hopefully someone creates a GUI for it like Chocolatey.(choco install chocolateygui)
    Chocolatey Software | Chocolatey GUI 0.17.0
    Damn that was fast
    information   Information

    How does this app work?

    winstall is powered by Windows Package Manager (aka "winget"), Microsoft's new package manager for Windows 10. Windows Package Manager is currently in preview, and it is not available by default in Windows 10.
    Installing Windows Package Manager

    If you don't already have Windows Package Manager, you can install it by downloading and installing the latest .appxbundle file from here.
    Using winstall

    To use winstall, you can search for apps on the homepage. Additionally, you can also view all the apps available via Windows Package Manager on this page.
    Simply select the apps you want to download and click on the "Generate Script" button at the bottom of the screen. You will then be presented with a command that you can copy and paste into any Windows command-line. Input that into a command line app of your choice, and hit enter to start installing the apps one-by-one using Windows Package Manager.
    Alternatively, you can click on the "Download .bat" button which will download a batch file. However, you will likely get a security warning from your browser. In that case, ignore the warning as the batch file is completely secure. Once downloaded, you can double-click the .bat file to install the apps using the Windows Package Manager.
    How is the data obtained?

    When you first load this website, winstall will automatically fetch the latest data from the official repository for Windows Package Manager apps. The latest data is then cached locally on your device. The app only obtains the list of packages available, in order to avoid hitting the GitHub API limit quickly.
    When you search for an app, winstall will only fetch the details for that app and update the local cache. This way, when you first search for an app, it may take a few seconds to load, but the subsequent searches will be instant.
    On the "all apps" page you will be able to see all the currently available apps that are on the Windows Package Manager. The data for all the apps will not be available at once, and you will have to click on individual apps to view their full details. This is, once again, done to avoid hitting GitHub API limits.
    The latest app data is cached for 5 hours, and you can manually clear the cache from the "all apps" page if you would like. You may sometimes hit the GitHub API limit, in that case some app details may not load. You will have to wait an hour before the limit is reset by GitHub. I am working on improving the API usage in order to limit API requests as much as possible.-
    Contributing and reporting bugs

    winstall is completely open-source, and you can find the source code here. This is only a preview for now, and the code is not very clean -- so you are very much welcome to contribute to the project!
    If you run into any issues, please report it using GitHub Issues here.


    If you're not a fan of using command line-based tool, though, Mehedi Hassan, who also develops the popular Tweeten client for Twitter, has created winstall.app. It's a web app that serves as a GUI version of the Windows Package Manager, letting users search for and install apps on an individual basis. It also lets users select multiple apps and create a batch command that installs all of them in one go using the command line.
    Winstall.app is a web-based GUI for the Windows Package Manager - Neowin
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 68,543
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Thread Starter
       #4
    Last edited by Brink; 01 Jun 2020 at 12:44.
      My Computers


 

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