Microsoft releases key Vista developer technologies

Microsoft on Wednesday gave developers access to a key piece of Windows Vista, months ahead of the operating system's release.

The company posted near-final versions of two software development technologies that are part of WinFX, the underlying programming model being introduced with Vista, which is slated to ship late this year.

WinFX combines Microsoft's existing .Net programming model with new tools for more easily linking software over the Internet, displaying data and creating business systems, Microsoft said. It will be shipped with Vista and also made available in versions for Microsoft's current client and server operating systems, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, Ari Bixhorn, director of Web services strategy at Microsoft said.

The programming model includes the application programming interfaces used by millions of developers to build software that runs on Windows. Microsoft's goal in certifying parts of WinFX for production use--ahead of Vista's launch--is to entice developers to create new programs tied to the new development model, thus driving demand for Vista.

The two new technologies released on Wednesday are Windows Communication Foundation, developed under the code name Indigo, and Windows Workflow Foundation. WCF links server-based systems using Web services, while WWF is used to map business processes to networked applications.

Both are being made available under what Microsoft terms a "go live" license, meaning that the code can be used in production settings.

Microsoft demonstrated Vista, developed under the code name Longhorn, in 2003 and planned to release the operating system in 2004, but the company has since scaled back its initial plans for the release.

Making parts of WinFX backward-compatible with current Windows releases means that developers can get started before Vista arrives and new programs will work on existing PCs, Bixhorn said.

Link