Everyone loves Microsoft interactive table, Surface--just check out our list of killer Surface apps to see why. So it's good news that this week Redmond announced it would be opening up the Surface software developer kit, or SDK, to the public. It will also be freely available through Surface.com.

To celebrate the occasion, Microsoft announced the winner of their developer contest, which was an app called User Interface Design GmbH written by a German developer. Check it out below.

Developing for Surface is a little bit like developing for Windows--except, of course, it's best to have a Surface table to test things on. That said, Microsoft does provide in the SDK a "Surface Simulator" so you can test your interaction design on your PC without loading your app onto an actual table.

It'll come easiest to game developers familiar with Microsoft's XNA runtime environment, but will also be a cinch for .NET developers used to working with Windows Presentation Format, or WPF.

Microsoft has also launched this resources page for developers and designers, as well as for IT folks looking for guidance. As with all new platforms (witness the iPhone) the documentation can make or break development, so if you're an interested party and you have feedback on how Redmond is doing, let us know in the comments.