DrusTheAxe

TechnoMage. Building MSIX since before it was APPX. Making a better tomorrow, tomorrow^H^H^H^H^H^H^Htoday. All opinions are mine, not MSFT.

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

APPDATA.EXE v3.0
https://t.co/gS1WZUhLex

Latest update includes support for Machine folder and EXPORT to .7z

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @metulev @rdmaclachlan See https://t.co/N8ytOa00EJ 🥷

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @rdmaclachlan @metulev Stage the package with an External Location, then Add or Register the package w/o specifying ExtLoc

The latter deployment operation will see <AllowExternalContent>true</> in AppxManifest.xml and use the already staged package, and thus its ExtLoc

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @metulev @rdmaclachlan https://t.co/N8ytOa00EJ 🥷

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @rdmaclachlan @metulev Stage the package with an External Location, then Add or Register the package w/o specifying ExtLoc

The latter deployment operation will see <AllowExternalContent>true</> in AppxManifest.xml and use the already staged package, and thus its ExtLoc

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @rdmaclachlan @metulev An easy way to see this:

msix.exe package list *foo*

displays the various locations (Installed, Mutable, MachineExternal, UserExternal), among other things

https://t.co/9irePMGIdf

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @rdmaclachlan @metulev That Stage operation will install the package to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps (or whatever your system's default volume, or explicit PackageVolume parameter)

This results in a stage package with a MachineExternalLocation="Q:\\What\\Ev\\er"

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

If you develop, deploy, manage or use MSIX packages you'll probably find this useful, or at least interesting.

Version 0.9.4 is available in the Microsoft Store, WinGet and GitHub.

https://t.co/6dJli19Yr9

#msix #msixadmin #msixpropertysheet #install #msixdeployment

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@dotMorten @davidfowl Welcome to the party. Excited to have you on board 🙂

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@ghost_motley Offline (you mean disconnected?) installation of MSIX packages is easy. Your comment is about offline *execution*. That relates to Store license management. Have you raised the issue with the Store team?

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@kobyk @DenelonMs Right here👋 Good suggestion! I've added it to the topic list for a future post

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@peymanr34 Windows 10 version 1709 = RS3
https://t.co/mOEV0bkd7s
Win7 thru Win10 RS2 either lacked MSIX entirely or lacked Centennial/DesktopBridge/non-UWP support. MSIXCore's role was to help provide that RS3+ behavior to older systems. Hard to do via MSIX on such systems

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@peymanr34 That's the 2nd paragraph. You skipped the first:
"MSIX Core brings MSIX deployment to select previous versions of Windows". Scroll up to MSIX Core "Overview" https://t.co/cjXb12dCjt "MSIX Core brings MSIX support to versions of Windows earlier than Windows 10, version 1709."

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@imunolion @cinnamon_msft https://t.co/BaeiSn3AIF the Developer Program is now free for individuals and companies https://t.co/wNVdb4DOf5 ...access to Microsoft Store; for packaged applications (MSIX), includes hosting, code signing, analytics, crash reporting, and more, free of charge

Solved?

[Rudy Huyn @RudyHuyn]

Hi Merrill,

We announced a few months ago that the Developer Program is now completely free for both individuals and companies!

https://t.co/sWslvVgdCl

It gives you access to the Microsoft Store which, for packaged applications (MSIX), includes hosting, code signing, analytics, crash reporting, and more, free of charge

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@guyrleech @UnrealEngine @googlecloud You can run makeappx with /nc to do no compression. Not a bad idea if you're just functional testing and the size delta is so negligible

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @anaisbetts We make some features available downlevel (not-just-latest Windows) from the get go, e.g. see MSIX enhancements in https://t.co/bsbUzFdBTE. Some aren't so do-able - today. But we do desire and strive to make that list as small as practical, and ever shrinking over time.

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @anaisbetts MSIX doesn't only support latest releases. Need for broad feature availability is well understood. It's our preference too. But... some things require Windows innards or otherwise deeply entwined, making downlevel/backport implementation high cost+risk.

[Demitrius Nelon @DenelonMs]

There's been lots of confusion around MSIX. In particular how it works with WinGet and even more so around system context. This is the first blog in a series of weekly posts coming about how MSIX actually works. Hopefully this will help provide more clarity for everyone.

https://t.co/4uODWCTiSz

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @anaisbetts I haven't heard that before. Thanks for sharing.

If Powershell scripts were packaged (signed .msix w/usual pkgdir protection) and Powershell could reference from the installed pkgdir... Would that address the meta issue - secure powershell scripts?

[DrusTheAxe @kapustein]

@awakecoding @anaisbetts BTW THUMPRINT=x is a simplistic example. More likely <Identity> is unchanged because Publisher is used downstream (eg. in PackageFamilyName) but add <Thumprints><Thumbprint>123...</> for xref against certs to verify it's trustable.

Still a disruptive breaking change.