ArcGIS Pro Support for Windows Package Manager

[JoshuaBixby]

I can't say it any better than Microsoft ( Windows Package Manager | Microsoft Learn😞

Windows Package Manager is a comprehensive package manager solution that consists of a command line tool (WinGet) and set of services for installing applications on Windows devices.

Windows Package Manager is a helpful tool for:

• Developers who want to manage their software applications using the command line.
• Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) who want to distribute software.
• Enteprise organizations who want to automate device set up and maintain a secure work environment.

Package management hasn't been a strength of the Windows operating system since the beginning, but Windows Package Manager is a positive step forward.  I have been pleasantly surprised by how many organizations are supporting it, and I would now say Esri stands out for not supporting it for ArcGIS Pro.

[GuusKlaas1]

Honestly, considering the amount of automation that is going into Windows-tier software, and the rapid CI/CD-style update cycle of the dependencies (even Esri themselves mention that keeping the .Net desktip runtime up-to-date is highly recommended), I'd strongly be in favour of having the majority of Esri windows-based applications be available in this manner:

• It could significantly ease the amount of effort in deploying "volatile"-style machines, which now have to resort to complicated DSC-style configurations as those on Deploy an ArcGIS Pro Concurrent Use · Esri/arcgis-powershell-dsc Wiki · GitHub
• It could significantly ease update management as even ArcGIS and its dependencies move to package management/always-up-to-date software

Considering the licensing is already done by other means, I significantly doubt there'd be much of an obstacle in providing deployment in this manner.