The interest in Windows ARM is heating up with lists of applications that work natively on ARM and applications that do not work (very well or not at all) on the new Windows ARM platform.
The Readiness team has now been testing applications on ARM based platforms for the past few months now with some mixed results.
Before we jump into our testing results, I wanted to share some of the documentation and references now available from Microsoft that can assist IT Professionals and developers with getting their applications running (well) on the new Windows ARM platform.
I guess the first thing to discuss is performance. If you are using a native ARM application, then application performance is definitely better. We had a little trouble baselining some applications but overall, we saw a 20% speed increase. Especially, if you are running one of the following native ARM browsers now available:
- Google Chrome – The browser is built to be fast and safe, and it is yours.
- Microsoft Edge – The AI-powered web browser built into Windows.
- Mozilla Firefox – The browser that protects what’s important.
- Opera Browser – Light on memory, fast, and built-in Speed Dial, Widgets, Wand, Notes, BitTorrent, Display modes, and Quick Preferences.
- Brave Browser – Blocks ads and trackers that slow you down and invade your privacy.
- Vivaldi Browser – Get unrivalled customization options and built-in browser features for better performance, productivity, and privacy.
Not running native ARM applications?
Well, Microsoft can help with their PRISM emulator which is described by Microsoft as,
“Prism is the new emulator included with Windows 11 24H2. Relative to previous emulation technology included in Windows, it includes significant optimizations that improve the performance and lower CPU usage of apps under emulation. Prism is optimised and tuned specifically for Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.”
Running your applications in emulator mode is great (hey, your applications startup and seem to run) but there are costs. The first is performance. Emulators will slow you down. The second major issue is that some applications may experience application compatibility problems (we call them challenges).
Applications that rely on kernel drivers and certain shell extensions will not start or run as expected. In fact, Samsung has released a list of applications that they know do not work including
Avast Cleanup, Avast Driver Updater, Avast Secure Line VPN, Avast Free Antivirus, Avira Security, FortiClient VPN, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Webroot Secure Anywhere AntiVirus, Virtualbox Headless Frontend , ALYac, Adobe InDesign , Adobe Illustrator , Naver eBook Reader , LDPLAYER , BlueStacks , DMM GAME PLAYER , NoxPlayer , Google Play Games , Google Drive , CANON JI Scan Utility , EPSÓN Fax Reception , EPSON Status Monitor 3
And Goose Goose Duck (which is a shame)
Microsoft does offer some engineering assistance with its ARM Program Troubleshooter but I think that the reality is that to reap the full benefits of the new architecture, developers will have to build/release new drivers. As the user virtualisation/emulation on ARM is pretty solid now, releasing new drivers should solve the vast majority of application compatibility issues on the new ARM platform. Unless you are using Castelle FaxPress or need extended keyboard support for Japanese characters (Kanji).
