Compile C# on a (not for) Windows 8 ARM Tablet

Question

Would it be possible to code and compile C#, on a Windows 8 Tablet (WinRT) (the ARM processor edition)?

Basically it comes down to this:

• Is there a C# compiler that runs on ARM?
• Is there and IDE that can run in WinRT?

If the above is true, I don't see any issue, but I currently can't find if the C# compiler runs on ARM (only a lot of posts about compiling for ARM). I've also looked at SharpDevelop, and found that their source code compiles for "Any CPU", which according to this post: Windows RT and c#, means that it'll run on ARM.

Sharpdevelop however requires .NET 4.0 "Full" runtime, which I couldn't find if WinRT has or not. I'm betting it doesn't, as WinRT is supposed to be a really lightweight edition of Windows.

As a sidenote, I know that Windows tablets will come in two editions, one for ARM and one for classic processors. The classic processors will run a normal Windows 8 edition, which means it can run all the native applications. Compiling C# wouldn't be an issue here - so the question is rather, can I do the same on ARM?

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This would be awesome for travelling and trying out new ideas quickly.

Answer 1

Currently: no, and no.

It would certainly be possible to build a Windows Store app that contains an IDE and a C# compiler. However, you would not be able to run any programs built using such an app. Windows Store apps run with reduced privileges in a sandbox. In this sandbox, the CLR will only load system assemblies and assemblies contained in the app package. The app package is immutable and cannot be modified at runtime.