Create README.md

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# WinRT Electron
+A collection/graveyard of Windows 8.1 Metro apps written in JavaScript, archived and modified to run under Electron
+
+# Why?
+I went digging around Windows 8.1 and noticed that many key Metro apps, including stuff like Mail, People, Calendar, Music, Videos 
+and even Skype where written in JavaScript with the help of WinJS and the Windows Runtime platform, and as it turns out they're all
+somewhat standard web applications, with a catch.
+
+Almost every app uses a native binary of some kind, usually written in C++/CX and exposed to JS via a corresponding `.winmd` file,
+naturally these won’t run within a browser context, and must be shimmed/reimplemented in pure JavaScript.
+
+On top of these native binaries, there's also the Windows Runtime itself which exposes vast suedes of functionality from access to 
+your webcam to processing of JSON and XML. Obviously this also needs shimming too, and as a result we're slowly amassing a relatively
+complete shim of all native functionality for both app specific features, as well as the Windows Runtime itself.
+
+# How?
+Apps are copied from the `C:\Program Files\WindowsApps` directory, at which point any native binaries are removed for analysis in dnSpy
+(which can handily read `.winmd`s giving a nice contract to work against), and `.winmd`s are run through the `tswinrt` tool to generate
+dummy shims. At which point it's loaded up in Electron within the shim's `webview` (or the "Desktop Experience")
+at which point we see what breaks, what isn't implemented, and precisely how much the app's CSS depends on proprietary features like
+`display: -ms-grid/-ms-flexbox;`, and work from there.
+
+# Components
+### WinRT Shim
+Arguably the most important component, the WinRT shim covers parts of the Windows Runtime, namespaces like `Windows.UI.WebUI` and 
+`Windows.Foundation`. It's highly incomplete and work in progress, and is shared between all apps within their respective shims.
+
+### Desktop Experience
+The package `wankerr.desktop` contains files for the WinRT shim and the "Desktop Experience". DE provides most of the functionality that would
+previously have been provided by the Windows shell, such as the code behind `CoreWindow` and `MessageDialog`, as well as the Charms bar,
+Start screen, Tiles and so on.
+
+Apps are run within `<webview>` tags and the WinRT shim communicates with the outside via Electron IPC. This means that state within the WinRT
+shim can't be shared between apps, and must be kept by the DE.
+
+# Building
+It should be a case of running `yarn` then `yarn webpack` in each app's directory and the root, though your mileage may vary.
+
+# Contributing
+Probably a bad idea.
+
+# Special Thanks
+Microsoft, for being this ~~dumb~~ ahead of their time.