All things WinGet - Demitrius Nelon

In this lecture, Demitrius Nelon, a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft, delves into the intricacies of Winget, the Windows Package Manager. He begins by providing a historical context on the development of Winget, highlighting its inception in late 2019 and the transition from Azure Marketplace to creating a robust customer-facing product. Demitrius shares the challenges faced during the product's development, emphasizing the evolution from a bare-bones CLI to a fully functional package management system capable of upgrading and uninstalling applications.

The lecture further explores Winget's architecture, detailing the decision-making process behind its design choices, such as using a declarative manifest structure while avoiding scripts to maintain security. Demitrius discusses how community contributions influenced the project, including a moderation feature implemented in response to overwhelming submissions after a viral video surfaced. He addresses early criticism regarding the absence of JSON output and PowerShell compatibility, noting that the initial focus was to ensure compatibility with Nano Server, leading to a more CLI-centric design.

Transitioning to the present, Demitrius explains the evolution of Winget's functionalities, particularly in relation to configuration management. He elaborates on the recent shifts towards creating an integrated experience for managing both package installations and system configurations. Pointing out ongoing community engagement, he illustrates how feedback continues to shape the development trajectory of Winget.

Demitrius also emphasizes the importance of security within Winget, outlining the extensive validation processes in place for community-submitted packages. He offers a glimpse into the meticulous checks, including static analysis and detonation phases, ensuring that only safe and legitimate applications are integrated into the community repository. The conversation extends to the integration of Winget with other Microsoft services, such as the Microsoft Store and Intune, underscoring future goals of facilitating enterprise scenarios through a seamless package management experience.

Throughout the session, Demitrius actively engages with the audience, inviting questions and offering live demonstrations of Winget's capabilities. He explains various commands, emphasizes the significance of local manifest files, and addresses user experience improvements stemming from community feedback. He acknowledges the competing pressures of maintaining security while providing flexible options for users. The discussion wraps up with evaluative insights into Winget's functionalities and how Microsoft continues to strive for transparency and community involvement in its product developments.

Chapters:
00:00:00 All things WinGet - Demitrius Nelon
00:00:52 Introduction to Winget
00:01:01 History of the Product
00:03:23 Community Engagement and Challenges
00:06:08 Configuration Management Overview
00:07:11 Integration with Microsoft Services
00:09:03 Interactive Q&A Session
00:10:19 Live Demonstration of Winget
00:11:33 Winget Installation Mechanics
00:13:24 Recent Announcements and Future Plans
00:15:39 Security Measures and Repository Management
00:21:26 Community Contributions and Package Validation
00:24:01 Searching for Packages
00:27:23 Exporting Package Information
00:28:55 Configuration Management with Winget
00:32:08 Declarative Configuration Schema
00:37:29 Integrating with PowerShell
00:39:37 Visual Enhancements and User Experience
00:42:29 Metadata and Package Management
00:46:23 Manifest Validation Process
00:50:10 Community Feedback and Continuous Improvement
00:52:45 Overview of DevHome
00:58:05 Local Manifest Files and Policies
01:02:21 Use of DSC Resources with Winget
01:06:54 Future Directions and Community Involvement
01:13:03 Addressing Community Feedback
01:16:35 Closing Remarks and Final Questions