Movement to Open Source old Windows Phone apps gather steam

Windows Phone is officially exiting support on the 10th December 2019, with devices running the OS no longer receiving any security updates or fixes.

This is, of course, ignoring the fact that no significant new devices have been released since 2015 and that the Store will soon stop functioning.

I suspect it is the last item which led to today’s news. Many old Windows Phone developers have decided to open source their applications.

I've open-sourced my "old" Windows Phone apps and now I'm invitating the whole #wpdev community to do the same! Some devs have already accepted and done so, hopefully we can start a trend here! Please RT! ? https://t.co/fEJTmIvh5z

— @[email protected] (@pedrolamas) October 30, 2019

My Windows Phone app #GameCardr is now Open Source on #GitHub https://t.co/GSfNxMi95M which allowed you to view Xbox LIVE Gamer Cards on Windows Phone and was downloaded 4,258 times! #wpdev pic.twitter.com/FfR4A9o1WJ

— Peter Bull (@RoguePlanetoid) October 30, 2019

My Windows Phone app #ZuneCardr is now Open Source on #GitHub https://t.co/DkHLrqcXno which allowed you experience the Zune Social on Windows Phone and was downloaded 388,394 times! #wpdev pic.twitter.com/bBiPJbjjuZ

— Peter Bull (@RoguePlanetoid) October 30, 2019

I've published source code for two of my WP7/XNA games some time ago. Wait, it has been 5 years already?https://t.co/qhtB5JreoChttps://t.co/tRi05W6C9o

— Martin Suchan (@martinsuchan) October 30, 2019

Given that many Windows Phone apps are UWP apps and share APIs with desktop Windows, the act is not a completely meaningless gesture, and hopefully, a new generation of developers may find something to scavenge from the pioneers bearing the Windows Phone arrows.