Transcript Document

Introducing Longhorn
What is it?
Longhorn is Microsoft’s “most important
software release since Windows 95” – due for
release 2006
What this talk covers
key characteristics of Longhorn, as I see
them
possible impact of the changes
Please comment as we go – it’s a discussion
not a presentation!
Longhorn file system
• Called WinFS
• Based on SQL (SQLserver, actually)
• Files have attributes (name, person,
date, type) which can be extended, and
viewed in any manner
• Meta-data allows multiple views of data
physically located in one place
• Uses the filesystem to store information!
E.g.
• View by person
– Word documents authored by them, emails
from them, etc.
• View by project
– All files tagged with that project attribute –
of all types
Thoughts
+ A significant part of Longhorn
+ What a file system should have been for
years
+ Very useful
+ Powerful as based on SQL
- Requires large RAM (200MB for fs alone, I
assume for maintaining indicies, and could
get much worse for complex metadata)
- May be slow
XAML
• Pronounced to rhyme with “camel”
• eXtensible Application Markup
Language
• Provides system for designing and
writing interfaces that is platform neutral
and can be interpreted by all code
• Allows web and applications to be
written in same way
More on XAML
• Using markup alone, you can
– Describe hierarchical set of objects that
runtime instantiates
– Set object properties to known vlaues
– Set properties to values from a data source
– Store changes back to data source
– Change a value over time
– Bind event handler to object’s event
And more
• Panels (canvas, flow, dock, grid, text)
• Controls
– Buttons, check boxes, radio buttons, list
boxes, combo boxes, sliders, scroll bars
etc.
– Control composition
• Shape drawing, transforms, animations
• Document services
+/+ Powerful, fast, simple
+ interfaces can be easily generated
programmatically
- sort of based on standards but for how
long?
- Blurs web/application boundaries (which
may be a + too)
Indigio
• Messaging system enabling secure, reliable,
transacted messaging over multiple
transports across heterogenous systems
• High level API
• Underlying system deals with all networking
across a variety of channels (ethernet,
wireless, bluetooth)
• Allows multi-user collaborative applications to
be build very easily
More Indigo
• Makes it easy to build web services
• Built-in security manager using profiles
and policies
+/+ Easy to write flexible, powerful
applications
• I’d thought this was one of the most
exciting bits of Longhorn but
- looks like it will make connecting to nonMS apps harder
Mobility-aware applications
• Longhorn adds support for power
management and grab-and-go docking
• Can find out how much power is available
and do appropriate things
• Doesn’t support decent device interrogation
as far as I can see
• Available shortly: Location server – API to all
mobile operator location services, ties in with
Map Server, allows easy creation of locationaware services and systems
For completeness
• Yukon
– The new SQLserver
• I have no interest in it so know little about it!
• Aero
– New interface for Longhorn
• Not announced so not clear what’s in it
• Think Mac OS X and you’ll be close
How to take advantage of
Longhorn
• In order:
– Try out the developers kit and Longhorn
OS CD (copies available)
– Learn .net (a lot of compatibility will
transfer)
– Learn XML, SOAs and web services
– Know how to design good user
experiences, focus on usability and use not
technology
Broader thoughts
• Longhorn essentially moves a number of
application-level operations into the OS (e.g.
file management, messaging, screen
drawing)
• Blurs the line between web and applications
• Probably makes it easier to work with other
MS apps and harder to work with non MS
stuff
Who are they going after?
• The browser wars are won
• Linux? Maybe…
• Java? Making it harder to work with Java,
removing some of Java’s advantages
• IBM? Certainly moving into areas where IBM
offer value-added services
• Still a focus on system level stuff, however,
and not too broad a brush when pulling apps
into the OS
Other news
• MS aiming to buy out Google
– Currently made private offer, rejected
– If Google floats, will chase it on the market
• Relevant?
– Yes, if it pulls more of web control to MS