Citrix cracks Windows Store's monopoly on Windows 10 S apps

Citrix has released a version of its Receiver app for Windows 10 S, and in so doing made Microsoft's lightweight cut of Windows for schools a bit more interesting.

Microsoft offered the world Windows 10 S in May 2017 and recommended it to schools on the basis that it can only install apps from the Windows Store. That plan was advanced as likely to keep kids from messing things up with dodgy-ware sourced from who knows where.

At launch, Microsoft told users who wanted other apps to “choose Windows 10 Pro instead.”

Now they can also choose to download the new version of Citrix Receiver that's been made compatible with Windows 10 S.

Receiver is Citrix's client for its XenApp application publishing tool and XenDesktop desktop virtualization suite. Citrix says it's just another version of Receiver for another platform, so should have no problems bringing apps from beyond the Microsoft Store into Windows 10 S.

The announcement of the new Receiver has seen Microsoft change its tune about Windows 10, as the company's Steve Teixeira, GM for the Microsoft Developer ecosystem, let Citrix quote him to the following effect:

Teixeira added that “This announcement is another example of Microsoft’s strong partnership with Citrix to enhance and extend the capabilities of Windows 10 devices for the modern digital workforce.”

When Microsoft launched Windows 10 S it endorsed low-end PCs as ideal environments on which to run it. Citrix Receiver requires a minimum 500MB free disk space and 1GB RAM, so perhaps some of the lowest-end devices Microsoft mentioned in the same breath as Windows 10 S won't do the job. But relatively cheap hardware will, making 10 S potentially interesting to buyers who need to go beyond the Microsoft Store. ®