Missing Windows Arm64 installer

[voronoipotato]

Missing Windows Arm64 installer

There is currently no installer for Windows Arm64, this should be remedied so that making apps for Arm devices can be easier.

General

I went to the list of installers but did not see Windows Arm64. I currently am using a Surface Pro X, so I am willing and able to test and review any builds needed. The Surface Pro X is actually pretty nice, but it's missing my beloved .net core. I downloaded a zip file that has the Windows ARM64 .net core sdk, which is pretty cool that it's already ready but I would much prefer an installer. Let me know if there's anything I can do and thank you!

[scalablecory]

@terrajobst @richlander

[voronoipotato]

If the installer itself is 32 bit that's fine as the emulation layer does work, it's just a bit chunky. So long as the thing it installs is ARM64 :).

[voronoipotato]

Is there any way I could help with this?

[voronoipotato]

microsoft/vscode#85326

If vscode works with arm before .net core has an installer for arm, (despite having a build for quite some time) I'm gonna feel pretty sad. Why is this falling off the radar so bad? Does nobody have the rights or knowledge to build an installer?

[dagood]

/cc @dleeapho @MichaelSimons

An issue I hit a while ago trying to figure out what it would take to make Windows arm64 installers is that the toolset we depend on to make MSIs and the EXE bundle installers doesn't support arm64: https://github.com/dotnet/core-setup/issues/5456.

Building an x86 installer that places arm64 bits and runs via emulation is interesting, I'm not familiar with that capability. It does sound like it could work around the tooling issue, at least.

[voronoipotato]

Windows 10 for arm can run 32 bit programs albeit slowly and with more battery consumption, presumably you could just stick arm binaries you want to go out in the 32 bit installer. Since it only has to run once, it's not a big deal that it takes a bit more battery power.

[voronoipotato]

@dagood is there a repository for the .net core installers so that I can create my own ARM64 installer?

[dagood]

Not just one, each repo that produces installers has the installer creation code inside it:

• .NET Core Runtime
  • 5.0+ https://github.com/dotnet/runtime
  • 2.1+ https://github.com/dotnet/core-setup
• ASP.NET Core Runtime
  • https://github.com/aspnet/AspNetCore
• SDK
  • 5.0+ https://github.com/dotnet/sdk
    • (although they don't appear to have finished their repo consolidation yet)
  • 2.1+ https://github.com/dotnet/core-sdk

The SDK installer bundles up the runtime installers, so work would be needed throughout the stack to get it built the same way as the other installers.

I just noticed you mentioned using the zip install, but installer scripts aren't mentioned here--depending on why you want an installer, they might be nice to consider: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/tools/dotnet-install-script

[voronoipotato]

I want an installer for two reasons. The first is so that I can run .net applications without slowness, the second is so that if I write an app that gets run on the surface pro x, other people can use it without slowness. While the emulation works it's not a reasonable comparison to native. I love this laptop but it does feel like I'm often hamstrung by apps not being designed with it in mind. If .net apps could run with windows arm64 in mind and is easy to install I could make builds for it. Without an installer though I really can't meaningfully even start.

[dagood]

A few pointers for the time being until we're able to do this:

The first is so that I can run .net applications without slowness

It shouldn't be too difficult to install using the other methods (zip, or script) for your own use. I understand this isn't something you'd want to do every time you get a new machine or wipe the OS though.

the second is so that if I write an app that gets run on the surface pro x, other people can use it without slowness.

You should try using self-contained deployment (SCD) for this, then they won't need to globally install .NET Core at all. This does result in your app getting larger since it has to carry the whole runtime, but it will make it easy for people to download and run. (You can also look into PublishTrimmed and single-file (unfortunately not fully doc'd yet).)

[richlander]

Related: dotnet/installer#2068 (comment)

[voronoipotato]

@dagood thanks, I understand that part of it is just not wanting to increase your bug surface prematurely. I appreciate you taking the time out to read and reply. I've been unzipping and running that because I'm a coward, and I'm scared I'm gonna do something wrong with the script lol. The SCD is a possible interim solution for now. I don't love it but I'll look into it, Trimmed will help. Keep in mind our ARM devices tend to be laptops with less drive space, so SCD is more expensive than on a desktop. If we could get an installer with the nightlies release that @richlander is talking about that would be huge, and if you use an x86 installer it may be as easy as making any other installer. Perhaps I'm being a little blue skies, but it would mean a lot to me if someone tried (or guided me through trying).

[dagood]

I filed dotnet/runtime#1529 to track the x86 emulation idea, I don't have a firm idea how it fits into our plans at the moment.

Note that dotnet/installer#2068 (comment) does not track an installer, just daily builds for win-arm64, which would be zips.

[be5invis]

@dagood
WiX added ARM64 support in version 3.14.
ref: wixtoolset/issues#5558 (comment)

[mairaw]

Closing this since we added Windows ARM64 installers in .NET 5+.

[voronoipotato]

I had noticed and had been using them, thank you! I forgot to comment on this.