Microsoft is finalizing Redstone 5 as the development branch transitions into next month’s October 2018 Update. Part of the process is release SDK previews and yesterday brought a new release. Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 SDK Insider Preview 17749.
When sent out yesterday, Microsoft did not issue a changelog with the Windows 10 SDK. However, today the company has taken to the Windows Blog with the full release notes.
As you can guess getting this close to the release to manufacturing (RTM) for Redstone 5, changes are limited in the new SDK.
Still, there are some noteworthy changes. For example, MSIX support has been added, allowing developers to package applications as MSIX. The packaging tool is not supported by the Microsoft Store, but it will be when Windows 10 October 2018 Update is rolled out:
Microsoft has also announced changes to the C/C++ ETW code generation of mc.exe (Message Compiler). The company says it will remove the “-mof” in future releases of Windows 10 SDK. If you are unfamiliar with the parameter, it instructs MC.exe to generate ETW code to make it compatible with Windows XP.
As always, Windows 10 SDK Insider Preview 17749 can be run side-by-side with other SDKs. Essentially, this means users can run an SDK in production while also running preview changes.
Finalizing Redstone 5
Earlier this week, Microsoft confirmed that its Redstone 5 development branch would become the October 2018 on official release. Windows 10 version 1809 (October 2018 Update) will come with new features such as a cloud clipboard, dark File Explorer theme, and Microsoft Edge improvements.
Last week, Microsoft rolled out Windows 10 Preview build 17746, which we speculated could be the release to manufacturing (RTM) for Redstone 5. It turns out that RTM build will arrive sometime during this month, with next week being a likely timeframe.
