Microsoft's .NET 3.0 Framework includes several aggregate technologies that were specifically tailored for Vista. One of the most immediately recognizable is the inclusion of the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) expressed by the Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML). The reason for this is obvious—unlike other technologies like Windows Communication Foundation and Workflow Foundation that work behind the scenes, WPF is front and center with enough forward-thinking design innovations in its 1.0 implementation that it will be employed as an alternative to building Windows Forms-based applications, especially for Vista-only applications.
A New OS. A New Language. A New IDE.
In the age of Rich Internet Application (RIA) development, Microsoft has reengineered its interpretation of what a Windows application should look like for the RIA age. While the web browser continues to host the applications and content that drive the Internet, the demand for richer UIs and better security coupled with the ease of deployment and version control that traditional web apps provide runs in parallel with end-users' expectations of what new OS features should deliver. As such, it's no coincidence that Microsoft has released WPF with the launch of its Vista OS.
While the technology can be executed on the XP platform, the hardware-accelerated visual flourishes that WPF can deliver are exclusive to the sleek Aero interface running on Vista. XAML, the new language constructed to describe WPF-based UIs, is a rich, albeit verbose, XML-based syntax in which it is even more painful to manually peck out code. However, that is exactly what was required by the technology's early adopters. XAMLPad, like the preceding Notepad-based XMLPad before it, provides some assistance to WPF interface developers by providing syntax highlighting and element-tree navigation, but it is a far cry from the drag-and-drop control construction of a Windows Form.
While work is underway at Microsoft to incorporate this ease-of-form construction in a future release of Visual Studio (codenamed "Orcas"), another alternative exists. This tool, formerly known by its codename "Sparkle," was built from the ground up to solely be used for the design and presentation of XAML-based applications. Previously known as the Microsoft Interactive Designer, the Blend graphic designer-centric construction toolkit is now included under the new Microsoft Expression line. The Expression family is a departure from the usual Microsoft UI look-and-feel because these applications were written using the WPF-XAML constructs; in fact, Blend was written using Blend. As a result, the UI is entirely customizable. What's more, the Expression tools have a dark theme by default because unlike the programmer-centric Visual Studio bright white UI, Blend and the other Expression products are graphic designer-centric. However, as of this writing, Blend is the most efficient tool for creating XAML-based applications because of the integrated construction toolset, component palette, and XAML code generators it supplies. Blend's only major shortcoming from a developer's perspective is that it lacks an integrated code debugger. Such functionality is expected to be available in Orcas, but not expected to be a part of the final Blend 1.0 build.
