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Microsoft pledges it will make WinUI “truly open source” – but don’t hold your breath
- Microsoft engineers are committed to making WinUI open source
- But first it needs to be separated from proprietary Windows code
- GitHub will become WinUI’s home for the community
Microsoft has confirmed WinUI will become, “truly open source“, however deep entanglements with proprietary Windows code could put this goal a long way off yet.
Windows UI Library (WinUI) is a user interface framework for building modern, fluid and responsive user interfaces on Windows, which works with Win32, .NET and C++ apps.
However, while the project lacks a specific end date, Lead Software Engineer Beth Pan did share more details about Microsoft’s phased plans in a GitHub post.
WinUI is on a road to become fully open source
“While we’re not ready to commit to a specific end date for completing all milestones, we are actively working toward it,” Pan wrote.
The four phases of Microsoft’s plan begin with more frequent syncing of internal commits to GitHub, starting post-WASDK 1.8 which is set for an August 2025 release.
From there on, Microsoft will allow external developers to clone and build the repo with full setup docs, after which third-party developers will be permitted to contribute and run tests.
The final stage will see GitHub become the “primary place for development, issue tracking, and community engagement.”
However, because so much of the codebase touches proprietary Windows layers, Microsoft is planning a gradual and deliberate transition to separate what can be open-sourced.
“Our current focus is on foundational work that unlocks value for contributors and increase transparency,” Pan added.
A separate GitHub project board has been established for the community to collaborate with Microsoft going forward.
Community responses have been generally positive and supportive, with many expressing their satisfaction that the project lives on with Microsoft’s support.
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