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Microsoft Readying 'Avalon' Framework for Longhorn | |
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| Time: 13:50 EST/18:50 GMT | News Source: eWeek | Posted By: Byron Hinson | ||
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Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has promised for years how Windows will allow consumers to access "information at your fingertips." With Longhorn, the next version of Windows due out in 2005, the company will take its first serious stab at delivering on Gates' vision. And a new application programming interface (API) framework, code-named Avalon, will be at the core of Longhorn's new information-access architecture, according to sources. Avalon is the key to the new "inductive" user interface that will debut in Longhorn, sources say. The new UI will allow users to organize and share information more intuitively, most likely using some kind of "dock," a la Microsoft Office XP, sources say. | ||
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| #1 By 4379 (66.54.164.122) at 7/11/2002 5:33:54 PM |
| Office XP "dock" I don't get it? |
| #2 By 61 (65.185.24.205) at 7/11/2002 8:08:26 PM |
| Can't wait for the beta program to start :) |
| #3 By 5444 (208.180.140.230) at 7/11/2002 8:26:06 PM |
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blynk,
You have the basic jest of what MS wants to happen. Unfortantantly Most of the GDI+ is still unmanaged code. So here are the things we do know. Windows must still support activex style dlls for GDI + for the current software. as most of he software written is based on the older module. But at the same time as the move to avalon module it will more than likely look like this. To say that winforms in it present form sucks would be an understatment. It basically is a wrapper for for the current underlying win32 subsystem. Things we know so far from winHEC notes. The new graphical subsystem(I guess now code named avalon) Will be based on a GDI+ that is accelerated by dx9. Now there can be 2 sub systems for this but I imagine that there will be one. DX9 has at its disposal a managed system for several of its systems DX graphics, sound, etc are all in managed code now. Build in the fact that GDI+ is going to be accelerated it is very easy to imagine that it can be accelerated using the managed system. and the new avalon platform will use this at least in managed code. The question is how much performance this will bring. If it can perform at a level that it appears like windows today, I can imagine that the platform will move entirely to the Framework. (but that may be a blackcomb type of move where windows is suppose to be reprogrammed from the ground up) of course this is all purely speculation on the bits and pieces of information that is out there. If avalon is the code name for the features that are being sought after in the hardware documentation. Then avaolon will have a min graphics resolution of 1024/768 x32 bit x 60hz and require a min of dx7 hardware with dx9 drivers and have a min memory bandwidth of .98 gb/s El |
| #4 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 7/11/2002 8:40:13 PM |
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um, what are you reading, el? As far as I can tell Avalon is simply the API for developers to create "dock" entries for their application's functionality or data objects. In order to do this, it will need hooks into the filesystem, network capabilities, GUI, etc... but it itself is not the GUI by any means. What leads you to beleive it's the graphic subsystem?
I also see the gist of the story in the last paragraph: "Avalon won't debut until 2005, which is the most recent target date that Microsoft has slapped on Longhorn. Until two weeks ago, Microsoft was talking about Longhorn shipping in 2004. Earlier this year, Microsoft officials said Longhorn was due in 2003." If Avalon won't debut until 2005, and it's the API to bring software functionality to the inducive GUI--that means that Longhorn will have to come out after that... well, I suppose it could come out before then, but there would be no apps for it. |
| #5 By 2459 (24.206.97.178) at 7/11/2002 8:53:21 PM |
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I'm pretty sure they meant that Avalon will be included in Longhorn, and because of that, it will debut whenever Longhorn does, which as far as they currently know, is 2005. It's debut will be when it is released to the general public (or to developers, since it's an API) in a non-beta form, which will be whenever Longhorn is released.
The stuff about the GUI, GDI+, and other things eldoen mentioned can be found in Powerpoint presentations located at http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/futurepc/winhec2002/default.asp This post was edited by n4cer on Thursday, July 11, 2002 at 20:57. |
| #6 By 3339 (64.175.43.54) at 7/11/2002 9:24:36 PM |
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I know what el is talking about--I'm saying that just because Avalon has hooks to the GUI doesn't mean it is an API for the GUI.
The way I take it: the new info for Avalon is as firm as they an get--but this will definitely need to be released prior to Longhorn. Without it, apps will not be able to be developed to use the main purpose of Longhorn--the new interface. |
| #7 By 8062 (206.72.66.205) at 7/11/2002 10:08:39 PM |
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On no...! I was hoping to never again see the acutely biased brand of so-called journalism as practiced by MJF.
Bummers! |
| #8 By 5444 (208.180.140.230) at 7/12/2002 5:38:39 AM |
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soda,
Some aspects of Avalon could be released before longhorn is released. more more than likely most ISV will have betas that will allow them to do so. There are some assumtions that I am making about avalon. As it is read it sounds like the new API, which will have the New GUI interface in it. AS MS talks about the new Accelerated GDI+ and a fall back plan when the software is released. I believe alot of the Avalon API will be related to that plan. Alot of the user interface involved with the docing and undocing effects will relate to that part of the API. But that put aside, I believe that Most of that API is already available. and more will become available when Yukon beta is released. (what has been said about yukon is that when it comes to beta it will be almost feature complete) So the beta test will be about bug hunting and performance tuning (not to mention the aspects of the framework that relate to the that platform and in turn to the yukon file system. Longhorn will be the OS that truely starts to bring the .net initiative into view. and that API will be related to the framework extentions in Yukon, the framework extentions in DX9 and dx 9.1. and finally the gdi+ acceleration extentions based on dx9. All of these will be released over the next few months. El |
| #9 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 7/12/2002 12:44:25 PM |
| el, now you are smoking crack! All of these APIs available in the next few months and nearly feature complete... but no product for the next 3 years! Come on--Yukon will be SQL Server and the file system will be based on it, but because Yukon was supposed to be ready months ago, doesn't mean the file system is ready. Just because DX9 is near complete doesn't mean the interface is near complete. |
| #10 By 5444 (208.180.140.230) at 7/12/2002 5:04:03 PM |
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SodaJ,
Again, I said some aspects of Avalon could be released quickly. Yukon, was touted as being feature complete, when it goes to beta according the sql team at an event. (not to mention they have been showing off Yukon since last fall) and is likely to go beta in august or sept. DX 9.1 will be the basis of the GDI+ acceleration, and it isn't a deliverable until first half 2003. But will be a fairly quick release as the features for it are well defined. If you read through the article it is an API that has several layers to it. The biggest is a database structure. Where is it. a standard Database query. where everything is stored in a single datastore, IE Yukon. So when yukon is released to beta testers, the underling structure for the new fs is released. and the integrated framework structures for that beast will be released. MS already has a development site on msdn related to using sql as a universal datastore. (using sql 2k) and the interfaces involved there. So yes, I think that alot of the features of Avalon will be fairly robust at the release of Longhorn Beta. Feature complete I doubt it. the full api for gui to data may not be completely defined at release, but the data interface it self will be. and the GUI accelderations will be in dx9.x Now looking at the source of MJ, a deliverable of 2005, well longhorn has been pushed out until then. If you read the winhec documents. it talks in a round about way a new UI for longhorn. It also talks alot about the new fs, and a little about the interaction between the 2. The fs has been worked on since sql 2k, they have working models in sql 2k and more refined ones for yukon. (alot of the updates for 2k, such as the xml features are from Yukon research) The papers point to it. the underlying structures point to it. Will it be the full API, no. I imagine the full API will also include the new scripting engine based on the framework that will either complement the current engine, or just completly replace the current engine, That API will probably include scpriting points for Quick data objects. etc. So until we see that new scripting engine. (and it will be an engine that treats languages as scripts not full languages. you probably won't see the full api. Until we see the full new UI the full API for that section won't be complete. But I still believe that most of the parts will be there. el |
| #11 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 7/12/2002 5:09:34 PM |
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el, awfully longwinded way of saying: no, avalon and longhorn APIs will not be ready in 3 months.
Heck, considering we are getting estimated dates for a LH release and an Avalon API but haven't had word of Yukon in months--I'd guess that it's pushed back further too. |
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