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The Microsoft Smart Client Application Promotion is a unique opportunity for independent software vendors (ISVs) that create "Smart Client Applications"—software programs that use the latest Microsoft Windows runtime technologies and meet certain requirements—to be eligible for promotion and distribution opportunities from Microsoft. If you are an ISV and promoting and distributing your application is your top priority, read on. |
The Microsoft Smart Client Application Promotion (the "Program") has a unique goal: to help ISVs promote and distribute their "Smart Client Applications." to Windows and Office customers. The Program facilitates this goal by providing ISVs with access to some of Microsoft’s broad promotion channels. ISVs that are interested in participating in the Program, and that have an application that meet the technical and business requirements (see below), may submit an online application form for consideration into the Program.
Microsoft will select up to 20 new Smart Client Applications from those submitted for consideration into the Program during each promotion period (approximately every six months). Microsoft will promote the selected applications on windowsmarketplace and its high-volume consumer site (www.microsoft.com/athome/downloads) and/or information worker site (www.microsoft.com/atwork/downloads), according to the target market of each particular Smart Client Application. Microsoft will also create an application collection CD and will distribute it in its events and on other channels.
In addition, Microsoft may offer ISVs whose applications are selected into the Program the opportunity to have their applications distributed through additional channels that Microsoft may make available from time to time providing an even larger distribution opportunity.
Not only will ISVs be eligible to receive the benefit of having their application promoted, and possibly distributed, through various channels, they may also be eligible for certain publicity benefits, in the form of potential case study opportunities, through which the chosen ISVs can be identified as an innovator in the developer community showcasing the brilliant ways their application operates on top of the Windows platform using the latest Windows runtime technologies.
Is this the right program for your application? Read more about the technical and business requirements below, and if you feel that your application meets these requirements, click on the link below to download the Program application form and apply today.
- What are the properties of Smart Client Applications that fit the promotion?
- Technical requirements
- Optional features
- Business requirements
- Frequently Asked Questions
What are the properties of Smart Client Applications that fit the promotion?
- Application that is up-to-date and uses the Internet to update itself when needed.
- Application that has a user interface that is based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows forms, and/or managed DirectX technologies.
- Application that has an owner that can be verified (application and installer are signed using an Authenticode signature).
- Application that protects its user's personal information and uses only the information it needs to function properly.
- Application that appropriately renders the data a user needs and is responsive to a user input regardless of the user’s network status.
- Application that can use web services to obtain needed data when connected.
Technical requirements
- Application targets the Microsoft .NET Framework platform (i.e., uses managed code for the application functionality). NOTE: If your application includes system code, it can be provided as native Win32 code component.
- Application setup checks the user's machine for the necessary Windows run-time components and installs them if necessary (by downloading the necessary components from the appropriate Microsoft Web site).
- Application and its installer are signed with digital signatures.
- Application should undergo a security review by the ISV that complies with standards commonly used in the industry. For more information on how to develop secured code look at The Trustworthy Computing Security Development Lifecycle.
- Application has an updating mechanism (either manual or automatic).
- Application features should be configurable by the user (if such feature is configurable).
- Application has a customer/technical support URL (and optionally support e-mail and/or a support phone).
- Application has the "Designed For Windows XP" logo program.
- Application works best on the Windows XP operating system.
Optional Features
- Application is capable of silent installation (to work with wrapper installers) in which case by using a command line switch the installer will suppress the end user license agreement on installation and the application license agreement will pop it up on a user's first-use of the application.
- Application utilizes Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition functionality (e.g., the application renders a 10-ft. experience) and installs into the Windows Media Center Edition experience. More information on Windows Media Center Edition development can be found here.
- Application utilizes Tablet PC-specific functionality, as suggested here.
- Application utilizes USB flash drive functionality (e.g., to save personal information, for roaming).
- Application is designed with globalization in mind and is localized in different languages. The main languages are: English, Spanish, French, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, Korean Portuguese and German.
Business requirements
Application has a "click and accept" license agreement that will pop up during installation or first use of the application and must be accepted by the user before the application can be installed. If the setup supports silent install, this license should pop up on first use of the application.
Application should be relevant and attractive to a large target market comprised of consumers and/or information workers.
Application is free to install and use, and its business model complies with the terms of the program:
- Application is not a trial version.
- Application does not include a "time bomb."
- Application is not shareware.
- Application is add free (and obviously no adware and malware should be provided).
- If the application uses a service component, such service will be provided for free for at least 12 months after installation.
- If the application uses a service, it will only require the necessary user details to operate the service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where can I find more information about Smart Client Applications and is any Smart Client Application a potential candidate?
A: You can find information on Smart Client Applications here. All the candidate applications should be Smart Client Applications that should furthermore comply with the program terms.
Q: Does this program cost money?
A: There is no cost to apply for the Program, nor a requirement to pay Microsoft for helping promote or distribute your application. However, ISVs will likely incur costs and resources to develop the applications and to host the applications for downloading through the Internet.
Q: Can an ISV submit more than one application?
A: Yes. However, since one of the requirements is that the applications must be either newly created or a new version of an existing application, ISVs are encouraged to focus their efforts to create or update one solid application per each six-month promotion period.
Q: Can an ISV market and sell the application that it submits for consideration into the Program?
A: All applications submitted to the Program must be free to users. Nevertheless, an ISV can market and sell a for-cost version of their application in parallel (not through the promotion). Furthermore, an ISV may also provide a link in the free version of the application (that it submits for consideration into the Program) that provides its user information on how to obtain the for-cost version. However, this link should not interfere with the day-to-day operation of the free version of your application. For example, the link can be placed inside the "About" box of the free version of the application.
Q: If an ISV's application is selected into a specific promotion channel (e.g., consumer or information worker), does it mean that the application will only be promoted through that channel?
A: Not beyond the main promotion page on windowsmarketplace, in accordance to the application target market the application can be published to consumer on https://www.microsoft.com/athome/downloads and to information workers https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en. Furthermore, Microsoft may also offer the opportunity to promote and distribute the selected application through some other channels.Q: With regards to the application update mechanism, does the ISV need to use a specific technology like the Updater Application Blocks to perform the updating?
A: Application updating is something that users appreciate. There is no need to use a specific technology to accommodate this need. It is recommended that the UI related to application update will be well thought in order not to degrade the user experience (for instance, use a background thread for updating, do not update unless you have broadband connection, let the user configure the process if it is an automatic one). The minimum is to provide a menu item that does the update. One way of implementing this feature is the Updater Application Blocks.
Q: What exactly is needed for the application security review?
A: A Security review includes a thorough examination of the security issues an application has. The best resource to learn about this is this article, The Trustworthy Computing Security Development Lifecycle. Going forward we expect to have more resources available. Answering the various questions that relate to security in the application form will cover some of the aspects of a security review.
Q: How do I make business from posting an application?
A: There are two ways you can build a business on top of the distribution: (1) An up-sell: offer a professional version with more feature (2) A service: offer a service that works in conjunction with the free application.