Microsoft's Professional Developer Conference (PDC) 2005 has come to a close. Neowin has tried to cover it as thoroughly as possible. So what were the highlights?
First, there's Windows Vista itself. Windows Vista is the first major overhaul of the NT code-base since..well ever. Windows NT was launched in 1994. In 1996, Windows NT 4.0 was released which contained some minor tweaks to it. In 2000, Windows 2000 was a significant update to NT 4.0 but still just an update. In 2001, Windows XP was released which was largely a cosmetic update to Windows 2000.
But Windows Vista is a truly new version. Microsoft announced a new API called WinFX to succeed the two decade old Win16/Win32 based APIs which included GDI for graphics and a hodgepodge of networking APIs.
WinFX is made up of 3 main subset APIs: Avalon (Windows Presentation Foundation) which rides on top of Direct3D to provide 3D accelerated graphics. Indigo to provide a secure and easy to use set of communication APIs (Windows Communication Foundation). And .NET, a set of managed APIs to make it easier to write software in general.
Microsoft also showed off Office 12 which is the most significant (and potentially controversal) update to Microsoft Office since Office 95. Amongst its myriad of changes, the toolbars and menu bar structure we've come to know are gone. Replaced by "ribbons". Ribbons are best described as context sensitive toolbars but are much larger.
In addition, to help encourage development using these new technologies Microsoft announced a suite of visual development tools called Expression. Expression is made up of 3 programs: Acrylic, a drawing program aimed at creating user interfaces for software. Sparkle, a program for visually designing applications using XAML. And Quartz, a sort of DreamWeaver professional web development application.
Visual Studio 2005 was highlighted a great deal and attendees received Visual Studio 2005 release candidate to begin development.
Microsoft also reintroduced the Sidebar and embraced Gadgets. It described the Windows Sidebar as being a container for gadgets. Gadgets will be able to be created using Microsoft development tools or with third-party programs that specialize in gadget creation.
Microsoft also heavily promoted its relatively new Channel 9 site which has become increasing popular. Channel 9 seems to be well on its way of creating a true community feel for developers using Microsoft technologies.
Microsoft's stated goal with Windows Vista is to deliver a truly new version of Windows Vista designed for the future. It is a pretty significant break with the past. High performance, robust security, and a rich development enviroment are the three watch words Microsoft focused on during the event.
Whether Microsoft can deliver on their goals remains to be seen.
More sources:
View: Windows Vista Homepage
View: Microsoft Expression Suite
View: Channel 9
View: Microsoft Gadgets, Did Yahoo know about Microsoft Gadgets?
View: Windows Vista Game Screenshots, Select Windows Vista OS shots
View: My Tech Blog
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