Windows 8 Store - am I missing something, or this LESS manageable than the iPad?

[RabbieBurns]

Ms's thinking appears to be 1pc=1 user who can be trusted with admin rights and if you want "pool computers" use vdi/rdp

 

VDI / RDP ? Whats the point in having a touchscreen tablet if its just to remote desktop into a server to run apps? Can you run windows 8 metro apps from a 2012 server?

[sted]

VDI / RDP ? Whats the point in having a touchscreen tablet if its just to remote desktop into a server to run apps? Can you run windows 8 metro apps from a 2012 server?

 

rdp in 08/2012 supports touchscreens and flash/video better than 08r2 so it should make little difference (in theory cant say im entirely happy about rdp/vdi for all my infrastructure which appears to be the focus infact they demonstarted using a surface yesterday had fruit ninja on a laptop and were quite happily multitouch interfacing it from said surface using rdp) as far as im aware yes you can run not metro apps on 2012 its the same kernel etc so i dont see why not (granted havnt tried it but as not metro is also on server it would be odd if you couldnt use the apps)

[AngryTechnician]

Also, what about needing a sideloading serial number is that still the case even with Enterprise edition?

 

You can enable sideloading on Windows 8 Enterprise by joining the computer to a domain. The sideloading key is needed for everything else, including Enterprise off-domain.

[VeryPC_Tom_M]

No, you can't preload apps direct from the store. The only way to make them available to all users at present is through the DISM/login script process. You are limited to 24 apps using this method, and you have to get hold of the .appx package somehow.

 

We went to the Microsoft Windows 8 Tech day in Leeds yesterday

Ditto!

 

They showed us that you can add .appx packages into MDT as Applications (and I presume you'll be able to do something similar in SCCM SP1).

 

The other way they showed us of deploying Metro apps, was in powershell, with the add-appxpackage command. The problem with this method of install however, is that you also need to install the security certificate which comes with the .appx package, to trusted root certificates on the pc!

 

Either method has the potential to cause more headaches than it solves, unless you push the metro apps that you want/need/are asked for, at install via MDT.

[sted]

i have a feeling you can use gpo to distribute certs i even think ive done it before (but ive slept since then lol)

 

installing appx does seem to be more dificult than it needs to be and i dont see why they couldnt be repackages as msi's but ms seem to be moving from that model to a script every damn thing in powershell model

[AngryTechnician]

ms seem to be moving from that model to a script every damn thing in powershell model

I'm glad it's not just me that thinks that. The amount of Exchange stuff I have to do in PowerShell is infuriating.

 

And yes, you can distribute certificates via Group Policy. It's probably the easiest part of the whole process, actually.

[gshaw]

It seems the problem with the whole MS vision at the moment is that everyone is going to drop their (shared) business \ enterprise computers for 1:1 BYOD tomorrow with no overlap in between. The management issues for everything from Start Screen to Metro Apps seems to stem from this as it all seems to be "per user" rather than "per machine"

 

Yes this might be the way it will go over the next few years, starting right now but the transition doesn't happen overnight and leaving out large chunks of enterprise management features will not go down well seeing as it's the only thing holding back their main competitor (Apple)

 

Very odd decision imo, is there a similar rambling blog post that might explain the logic in the same way they did to justify the Aero > Metro changes?

[sted]

 

Very odd decision imo, is there a similar rambling blog post that might explain the logic in the same way they did to justify the Aero > Metro changes?

 

being a synic i suggest that aero went so people noticed that after upgrading their pc was faster lol

[VeryPC_Tom_M]

I think they were claiming yesterday that the .appx method was "more flexible" than an MSI... I don't know if I believe that, until I see it however!

[gshaw]

I think they were claiming yesterday that the .appx method was "more flexible" than an MSI... I don't know if I believe that, until I see it however!

 

I guess it's more flexible in the same way that deploying Office 2007 onwards through an EXE and clunky XML file is more efficient than using MSIs

[RabbieBurns]

Is anyone else trying to get a multi-user windows 8 up and running?

 

Im tearing my hair out..

 

It doesnt help when you contact the support for one of you softwares, who have made a nice windows 8 app in the store, to find out how to get the .appx to use sideloading and they say no.

 

Good afternoon Rabbieburns,
At this point in time we are not able to supply you with an .appx file for distributing the application. 
I apologise for any inconvenience. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us via phone or email.
Kind regards, 
Mr Supportl McWhatever, ClickView Technical Support 

 

So the only way to have a widows 8 app available for all users, is to sideload the .appx with scripts. But the .appx are non-existant.

 

Whats going on ??

Edited November 20, 2012 by RabbieBurns

[sted]

Is anyone else trying to get a multi-user windows 8 up and running?

 

Im tearing my hair out..

 

It doesnt help when you contact the support for one of you softwares, who have made a nice windows 8 app in the store, to find out how to get the .appx to use sideloading and they say no.

 

Good afternoon Rabbieburns,
At this point in time we are not able to supply you with an .appx file for distributing the application. 
I apologise for any inconvenience. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us via phone or email.
Kind regards, 
Mr Supportl McWhatever, ClickView Technical Support 

 

So the only way to have a widows 8 app available for all users, is to sideload the .appx with scripts. But the .appx are non-existant.

 

Whats going on ??

 

i THINK if you add it into our base image and sysprep you can deploy that way ut not 100% and means rebuilding pcs for 1 app anyway

[AngryTechnician]

So the only way to have a widows 8 app available for all users, is to sideload the .appx with scripts. But the .appx are non-existant.

 

Whats going on ??

 

This is exactly what I think we all knew was going to happen. If left up to the publishers, they are not going to put the extra effort in, it's as simple as that.

 

I would love to hear what @eduAnt from Microsoft has to say about this, given that when he popped in to the forums in September he was asking "What are the Top 5 challenges for schools"!

[RabbieBurns]

I dont have a problem going an extra mile and writing scripts etc to do what we need...

 

the problem I cant get round is where do these apps come from.

[SYNACK]

The app files are stored in c:\Program Files\WindowsApps which is locked down to trusted installer by default but I'm just cracking it open now to see if there is any appx goodness in there.

[SYNACK]

Right, no appx files but the actual programs do appear to be extracted in there, may be possible to repack them with App packager (MakeAppx.exe) (Windows) but it seems like a hell of a mess. Perhaps https snooping while downloading the appx from the windows store would be less hassle, not that, that is overly quick and easy either.

 

edit: image of register app, includes the cert and manifest by the looks, might be possible

Edited November 20, 2012 by SYNACK

[RabbieBurns]

perhaps we will have to rely on the pirates and their want to copy paid for apps to allow us to figure out how to deploy the free ones?

 

Windows 8/2012 sideloading crack

[AngryTechnician]

edit: image of register app, includes the cert and manifest by the looks, might be possible

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15961[/ATTACH]

Presumably only the public key, not the private key (unless someone has been monumentally thick) so you'll have to self-sign. Other than that you may be on to something here.

 

Still utter rubbish that this is what we might be looking at as a deployment method for the next few years.

[SYNACK]

perhaps we will have to rely on the pirates and their want to copy paid for apps to allow us to figure out how to deploy the free ones?

 

Windows 8/2012 sideloading crack

 

That looks like where I was getting to but much more advanced and actually tested. Sad that it again comes down to pirates to make these things tenable for legitimate users. Its insane. The only ones who get punished are the honest users and the usability of the software in question.

 

Presumably only the public key, not the private key (unless someone has been monumentally thick) so you'll have to self-sign. Other than that you may be on to something here.

 

Still utter rubbish that this is what we might be looking at as a deployment method for the next few years.

 

You'd probably want to use a private key anyway as you are sideloading and will need to push a trust for it, there is even an app for sideloading now

http://canbilgin.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/metro-app-installer/

 

Hopefully MS will get their stuff together eventually.

Edited November 20, 2012 by SYNACK

[thom]

I also attended a Windows 8 camp and although not entirely clear, this is what I picked up on.

* Side-loading is only for "in-house" apps

* Enterprise software should be purchased through the developer, not the store. They will then email you a "deep-link" to access a special enterprise version of their software. Whether they ask you to enter a license code/key or not is up to them

 

It is still necessary for each user to have a Microsoft Account (aka windows live/msn/hotmail) to open deep-links and install themselves. I guess you could add these links as shortcuts to the user's desktop's, via Group Policy Preferences

[AngryTechnician]

Enterprise software should be purchased through the developer, not the store. They will then email you a "deep-link" to access a special enterprise version of their software. Whether they ask you to enter a license code/key or not is up to them

This is the exact problem. Developers aren't required to offer that option. I would wager that only a very small percentage of them ever will.

[gshaw]

This is the exact problem. Developers aren't required to offer that option. I would wager that only a very small percentage of them ever will.

 

It's just like Windows Driver signing all over again

 

I also attended a Windows 8 camp and although not entirely clear, this is what I picked up on.

* Side-loading is only for "in-house" apps

* Enterprise software should be purchased through the developer, not the store. They will then email you a "deep-link" to access a special enterprise version of their software. Whether they ask you to enter a license code/key or not is up to them

 

It is still necessary for each user to have a Microsoft Account (aka windows live/msn/hotmail) to open deep-links and install themselves. I guess you could add these links as shortcuts to the user's desktop's, via Group Policy Preferences

 

Am I reading this right, MS are saying that the following scenario isn't actually possible right now?

 

> I want to buy an app for everyone on my network

> I want to deploy that app to all my machines

> I want that app ready and waiting on the Start Screen for any user that logs on

 

If so that's absolutely crazy...

[RabbieBurns]

seems we're not the only ones with this problem:

 

Deploy windows 8 apps for multi-user on Enterprise: windows 8, apps, deploy

[marsdenprimary]

I'm looking at the Evaluation version at the moment here in school on a test machine and it won't let me connect to the Microsoft store using my Microsoft Live ID- also we're behind a proxy. Does this make any difference? Is the Microsoft Store available with the eval. version?

[awarfield]

Microsoft System Center Config Manager 2012 SP1 is what you need - the user still has to install it, but you can manage all the apps from there.

EdgeShow 40 - Windows 8 support in SCCM 2012 SP1 | Edge | Channel 9

 

skip to 7.30min for the interesting bit.