Demand Technology Software: Longhorn Preview

1
Demand Technology Software Longhorn Preview

• Demand Technology Software
• A DataCore Software company
• 1020 Eighth Avenue South, Suite 6, Naples, FL
  34102
• phone [phone] fax [phone]
• e-mailsupport_at_demandtech.com
• http//www.demandtech.com

2
Agenda

• Longhorn
• WinFS storage engine
• Avalon graphics engine
• Indigo Web Services framework
• Other things of interest
• Yukon
• Whidbey

3
Longhorn the next version of Windows

• The next version of the Windows OS
• Touted as a significant change in how the OS
  works and in the way applications are built
• Features new versions of major subsystems,
  including the UI and the File System
• Aero multi-media UI
• Avalon new presentation layer
• Increased emphasis on security and trustworthy
  computing

4
Longhorn evolutionary architecture

• Built on W2000-W2003 kernel, no major
  architectural changes (as far as is known)
• OS team is continually focused on performance
• Touting the new UI as revolutionary
• Slate XP-like visual style
• Microsofts latest thinking on the Aero user
  experience
• Most of the new display properties are broken
  or under construction in this build

5
Longhorn so far

• Performance of Build 4051 (this one) miserable
• Pentium II 400mhz, 256MB painfully slow
• a dog on any system with less than 512 MB of
  RAM (Paul Thurrott)
• Systems in hands-on lab at PDC were 1.7Ghz
  Pentiums with 256Mb slow but tolerable
• Build 4051 is its only designation, not even
  called a beta yet
• Longhorn Beta 1 in 2nd half 2004 (per Jim
  Allchin)

6
Longhorn new visuals

• The following pics were taken directly from Paul
  Thurrotts web site
• http//www.winsupersite.com/reviews/longhorn_alpha
  .asp
• Caveat not clear that these are the same in
  Build 4051, some came from pre-4051 build
• Expect major visual effects changes by Beta 1
  anyway

7
Longhorn style example, Welcome
8
Longhorn style example, Install
9
Longhorn style example, Logon screen
10
Longhorn style example, About Windows
11
Longhorn style example, Sidebar
12
Longhorn style example, Start menu
13
Longhorn style example, preview view
14
Longhorn style example, My Computer
15
Longhorn style example, My Hardware
16
WinFS Windows Future Storage

• The new storage system in Longhorn
• Virtualizes data
• An active storage platform for
• organizing
• searching for, and
• sharing
• all kinds of information

17
WinFS does

• Improves Windows platform in 3 ways
• Categorize information in multiple ways and
  relate one item to another
• Provides a common storage format for data
  collected on an every day basis
• Promotes data sharing of common information
  across multiple applications from multiple vendors

18
WinFS has relational software engine

• Has a relational software engine
• User combines storage entities in meaningful ways
  using relationships
• Locate instances of storage types using
  relational queries (SQL)
• Allows user to pose questions to locate
  information, rather than individually searching
  folders

19
WinFS the new future file system

• The new file system for traditional file-based
  data
• Text, audio, video, etc. files
• Typically store the main data, the file stream,
  on an NTFS volume
• Supports both hierarchical and relational storage
• Stores metadata (path, author, keywords, etc.)

20
WinFS schemas

• Numerous builtin schemas describe real entities
• Images,
• Documents
• People, places
• Events
• Tasks
• Messages

21
WinFS extensible model

• ISVs can also define new data types and provide
  their schemas
• Using .Net, XML-based or Win32 APIs or a mixture
• Expected developers will use the managed class
  APIs (much easier than raw SQL to update)

22
WinFS and NTFS

• Can still store in NTFS format, NTFS not going
  away
• Normally a file stored in NTFS is not visible in
  WinFS
• but Longhorn apps can access either
• Files can be promoted and demoted
• Files can be exported or imported
• between NTFS and WinFS

23
WinFS Performance

• Metadata will take up lots of space
• Queries will take up CPU cycles
• No information yet on the impact on performance
• Poor performance noted so far may not all be in
  WinFS
• Very early in cycle, not even called beta yet

24
WinFS where is it?

• Apparently not much of it working in 4051
• Cant find examples of User tools to add or query
  metadata
• The WinFS services appear to be running, but

25
Avalon what is Avalon

• Avalon is a brand new platform for building
  smart, connected, media-rich applications in
  Longhorn
• New component framework and APIs
• Extending Windows Forms
• Managed code enabling ClickOnce deployment
• A unified approach to UI, documents and media,
  called revolutionary at PDC

26
Avalon Avalon consists of

• Mainly of a new set of classes added to the .NET
  Framework
• Applications can be written in C, Visual Basic
  .NET, C, or
• any that supports the .NET Common Language
  Specification (CLS)
• A new XML-based Extensible Application Markup
  Language (XAML, pronounced zammel)
• Most Avalon applications will contain both
  program code and XAML

27
Avalon Avalon in person

• Demos were visually quite striking
• Despite advances in performance in graphics
  layers of OS, expect to deploy on high
  performance CPUs and lots of RAM
• Design tools integrated with new development
  environment code named Whidbey
• Dont expect the final UI to look exactly as in
  Build 4051
• Things in the mirror are not as close as they
  appear

28
Indigo what is Indigo

• Indigo is the new communications subsystem for
  applications
• Simplifies the creation of connected applications
  through a service-oriented programming model
• Service oriented architecture views an
  application as a system built from autonomous
  services

29
Indigo Service orientation

• Service orientation is based on a model of
  explicit message passing rather than implicit
  method invocation Don Box
• Assumes communications are
• spread over large geographical distances
• traverses multiple trust authorities
• and exist in distinct execution environments

30
Indigo for the developer

• Indigo is a set of managed frameworks,
• the next evolutionary step from .NET Remoting,
  ASMX and .NET Enterprise Server (which extended
  the COM architecture)
• A single unified programming experience for
  developing services using any CLR-compliant
  language
• Whidbey

31
Other things of interest Whidbey

• Whidbey is codename for Visual Studio beta and
  Longhorn SDK
• Next incarnation of the development environment
• Integrates development of Avalon, Indigo and
  programming languages
• ClickOnce deployment code on demand model
• Message is C is the future for Avalon and Indigo
  development, but Visual Basic isnt going away
• (Heck, they still support FoxPro! Go figure!)

32
Other things of interest Yukon

• Yukon is the next SQL Server version
• Transact-SQL conforms more closely to ANSI-99 SQL
  specification
• Can execute code (user-defined funcs, stored
  procedures, triggers) written in CLR languages
  (e.g. Visual Basic .Net, C)
• Supports a subset of the W3C standard Xquery and
  has native XML support

33
Longhorn references, etc.

• indicate references to comments, usually
  paraphrased, from Paul Thurrotts Longhorn
  articles on the SuperSite for Windows
  http//www.winsupersite.com
• Introducing Longhorn for Developers, Brent
  Rector, Microsoft Press
• (paperback, distributed at the PDC)

34
Longhorn references, etc.

• WinFS information based on an article by Richard
  Grimes, Code Name WinFS, Revolutionary File
  Storage System Lets Users Search and Manage Files
  Based on Content in MSDN Magazine, Special
  Edition distributed at the PDC
• Avalon information based on an article by Charles
  Petzold, Code Name Avalon, Create Real Apps
  Using New Code and Markup Model in MSDN
  Magazine, Special Edition distributed at the PDC
• Indigo information based on an article by Don
  Box, Code Name Indigo, A Better Model for
  Implementing Web Services in the .NET Framework
  in MSDN Magazine, Special Edition distributed
  at the PDC
• These articles also appear in MSDN Magazine,
  January 2004

35
Longhorn preview

• Questions?