Microsoft has released an update for the Dev Home app for Windows 11, bringing it to version 0.3. The update includes various improvements and a new feature.
Microsoft Dev Home is a new feature in Windows that helps developers set up, monitor, and manage their projects and dev environments. It is an open-source tool that can be customized with extensions to provide different widgets and integrations. For example, the Dev Home GitHub extension allows you to connect your GitHub account and access your repositories, issues, and pull requests from the Dev Home dashboard. You can also use the machine configuration tool to clone repositories, install applications, or create a Dev Drive for faster storage. Dev Home is part of Windows and updates through the Microsoft Store and GitHub.
Rearrangeable Widgets
The primary feature of the update is the introduction of rearrangeable widgets. Users can now modify the layout of the Dev Home dashboard by clicking and dragging widgets. Microsoft has also addressed a bug that caused random widget rearrangement.
Additional Improvements
Other enhancements in Dev Home 0.3 include:
- Display of the GitHub query when adding an issue or pull request widget with a URL containing filters.
- Empty widgets now show a message instead of nothing.
- Long names in the repository review and repository tool dialogs are now truncated, with the tooltip showing the full name.
- Progress rings have been added for when Dev Home is fetching repositories.
- The terms checkbox in the setup tool review page is now only shown if apps are selected to be installed.
Bug Fixes
The update also includes several bug fixes:
- Improved localization.
- The CPU widget now accurately displays the actual CPU speed.
- Times shown in GitHub widgets now align with the times displayed on GitHub.
- Clicking the Add widget button no longer causes Dev Home to crash.
About Dev Home
Dev Home was announced at the Build 2023 conference as a tool to simplify the setup and use of Windows dev machines. It includes the ability to set up development environments for machines that link to GitHub and connect to relevant repos, install tools and packages, and more. Dev Home utilizes Microsoft’s Windows Package Manager (winget) to generate a configuration file to install the apps, tools, and packages that developers need. It also includes the ability to configure coding environments in the cloud using Microsoft Dev Box and GitHub Codespaces.
The Dev Home dashboard also includes GitHub integration, allowing developers to get a quick overview of the projects they’re working on through GitHub widgets that surface GitHub issues and pull requests. Microsoft is also working with the Xbox team to add the GDK to Dev Home for game developers, and custom-built extensions for Dev Home will also be supported.
The Dev Home app is available for download from the Microsoft Store. It requires Windows 11 build 22000 and newer, and it is still in preview, so some issues are expected. Developers with the necessary skills can also contribute to the project’s development in its official GitHub repository.
Last Updated on November 8, 2024 12:19 pm CET
