(Star those things about programmers)
Original: those things about programmers (id: iProgrammer)
Microsoft releases Winget, the Windows package manager
On May 20th, Microsoft released the Windows package manager winget at the Build 2020 conference. It is also open sourced on GitHub, and there are currently 5700+ Stars.
The package manager is indeed very convenient. Children's shoes who have used similar tools on Linux or Mac systems will have the experience. If you encounter more dependent software, you only need one installation command to easily complete the installation. (If you haven't used it yet, you can try it.) I often soak in children's shoes on GitHub. You should have noticed that the readme pages of many tools recommend command line installation.
There have been many calls for a long time, hoping that the Windows platform will also have a package manager. So the release of Microsoft Winget is really exciting.
The developer complains that Microsoft winget copied the similar open source tool AppGet
But Microsoft Winget also caused controversy.
On May 25, the developer of AppGet posted a long article accusing Microsoft of copying AppGet's core mechanism.
What is AppGet?
AppGet is an open source Windows software package manager, which can automatically install software on Windows PCs, and is part of the Windows ecosystem (software distribution). There are more than 1,400 software packages that can be installed through AppGet.
(Screenshot from AppGet official website)
Keivan Beigi is a developer living in Vancouver, Canada, and AppGet is his side project.
How did Microsoft winget copy AppGet?
According to Keivan's article, AppGet attracted Microsoft's attention in 2019, and Andrew Clinick, Microsoft's Windows App Model project manager, contacted Keivan Beigi.
On July 3, 2019, Keivan received the first email from Andrew . The email first expressed affirmation of AppGet's role in the Windows ecosystem, and finally proposed an appointment to meet offline in Vancouver.
AppGet is Keivan's side project. It is naturally very happy to receive Microsoft's attention and attention.
On August 20th, Keivan and Andrew, and another Microsoft engineer in the same product group. They chatted:
The idea behind AppGet;
The shortcomings of the current package manager system in Windows;
Future plans for AppGet.
On August 28, Keivan received the second email from Andrew :
Andrew revealed in the email that he wanted to form a team to take charge and promote the package manager for the Windows platform. And try to ask Keivan whether it is possible to come to Microsoft to invest more time on AppGet.
At first, Keivan was a bit hesitant. He didn't want to go to Microsoft to do Windows Store, MSI engine, or other things related to App deployment. Soon after, someone assured him that he would spend all his time on AppGet.
"After about a month of long email communication, we came to the conclusion that our arrangement will be very similar to an acquisition, Microsoft will hire me, AppGet will go with me, and then they will decide whether to change the name For other things, or change to Microsoft AppGet.”
But Keivan is not clear about his role at Microsoft. "What is my duty? Who will I report to? Who will report to me? In these slow communication conversations, I tried to clarify some of the answers, but I never got a clear answer."
December 5, Keivan Fly to Seattle and have a full day of interview/conference at Microsoft headquarters. After the meeting with Andrew, he flew back to Vancouver.
Then, he did not hear any progress news for six months. Until he received an email from Andrew (below), telling Winget that it would be released the next day.
At the end of the email, Andrew also reminded Keivan to keep secret before the release of Winget the next day, because he only told him and chocolatey in advance.
(Special note: chocolatey refers to another Windows package manager.)
Microsoft, with a market value of 1.4 trillion US dollars, should have done Wingt long ago
Maybe some netizens may want to say, "Isn't Keivan angry that he was not hired by Microsoft?"
Keivan said in his complaint article:
Am I upset that they didn't hire me? No, after I went to Microsoft's Seattle headquarters, I was not too sure whether I would work for such a large company, and I was not too excited about moving from Canada to the United States. Moreover, in the entire communication process, I don't think it has been settled.
Microsoft, a company with a market value of 1.4 trillion US dollars, has finally released a decent package manager. Am I unhappy? No, they should have done this a few years ago. They shouldn't make the Windows Store so bad.
In fact, no matter how hard I try to promote AppGet, it will never grow at the speed of Microsoft products. I did not do AppGet to make a fortune, nor to become famous or to be hired by Microsoft. I created AppGet because: I think Windows users should also get a decent application management experience.
Decided to close AppGet
Keivan claims that the core mechanism, terminology, manifest format and structure of Microsoft Winget, and even the folder structure of the package repository are deeply inspired by AppGet. And Microsoft only briefly mentioned the name of AppGet once in the announcement.
Keivan added in a reply on Reddit,
Code being copied is not a problem. I know exactly what it means to release something open source, and I don't regret it at all. What has been plagiarized without credibility is the foundation of this project, the way it actually operates. If I am a patent applicant, then this is what I want to patent. But I do not regret not applying for any patents.
The general concept of the package manager has been implemented by open source projects such as Homebrew, Chocolaty, Scoop, etc., but their implementation methods are not the same. However, WinGet and AppGet work basically the same. I wrote an article about how AppGet works two years ago.
They copied it, and I'm not even frustrated. For me, this is a test of the correctness of my ideas. What makes me unhappy is that they didn't give me any credit.
Keivan believes that since Microsoft has engaged in Winget, it will be meaningless to compete with it, not to mention that it is not good for anyone to divide the ecosystem.
He has decided not to develop AppGet anymore, and the client and server immediately switch to maintenance mode. It will be permanently closed after August 1st.
Microsoft's current response
Regarding Winget’s alleged plagiarism of AppGet, there is currently only the prosecutor Keivan on the Internet.
On May 28, the foreign media The Verge contacted a Microsoft spokesperson for comment after reporting the incident, and the other party replied: "We regret what happened to this candidate, and we are reviewing the situation internally."
If Microsoft subsequently responds to this matter, we will follow up and add.
reference:
https://medium.com/@keivan/the-day-appget-died-e9a5c96c8b22
https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/28/21272964/microsoft-winget-windows-package-manager-appget-copied
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/gqx6ta/the_day_appget_died/frzz4e4/
Recommended reading Click the title to jump
Pay attention to "the programmer's things" star, don't miss the circle
Inside the circle, I'm watching ❤️