What percentage of Windows apps are written in JavaScript?

Wednesday, February 20, 2013 gc 2 Comments

Windows 8 provides a new touch first experience for Store apps. You can write Windows Store apps using a common API (WinRT) with language projections (bindings) to C#, Visual Basic, C++, and JavaScript. XAML (Extensible Markup Language) is used to create not only Windows Store apps, but also Silverlight and WPF applications. There are differences between Windows Store apps, Silverlight, and WPF apps, but knowing one makes the others easy. JavaScript uses HTML5 markup and CSS3 to create fully native apps.

Here is the breakdown according to Robert Evans, Microsoft Technical Lead for Windows Store App Labs (Source):

59% XAML/.NET (C# and Visual Basic)
36% HTML/JavaScript
5% XAML/C++

During my inspection of apps, there seems to be even a higher percentage of XAML/.NET apps; however, I trust the submission numbers. Just the ones I tend to use are generally written in XAML/.NET.

You can inspect your installed apps, too. You can look behind the Windows 8 curtain.

Despite the numbers, in my view all of us could be writing TypeScript/JavaScript or some other variant someday soon. I always thought that it would be a dynamic language, but never thought it would be based on JavaScript.

Whatever you pick, enjoy it.

Update: These percentages are based on over 4000 apps that have come through the app labs. These are mostly consistent with the numbers that I have found through limited inspection. Here is how: http://www.pursuitofgreatdesign.com/2013/02/a-look-behind-curtain-of-windows-8.html