If you don’t know him, Miguel is the architect of the Mono open source project whose aim is to implement the .NET CLR and the Framework Class Libraries on Linux (and other places) so that .NET apps can run on OSes other than Windows.

In this essay, Miguel comments on the importance of Longhorn:

″…the combination of Microsoft deployment power, XAML, Avalon and .NET is killer. …

“The combination means that Longhorn apps get the web-like deployment benefits: develop centrally, deploy centrally, and safely access any content with your browser.

“The sandboxed execution in .NET means that you can visit any web site and run local rich applications as oppposed to web applications without fearing about your data security: spyware, trojans and what have you.

“Avalon means also that these new ‘Web’ applications can visually integrate with your OS, that can use native dialogs can use the functionality in the OS (like the local contact picker).

“And building fat-clients is arguably easier than building good looking, integrated, secure web applications (notice: applications, not static web pages).”

What I find most interesting is that while Miguel doesn’t cover the entire Longhorn story, e.g. he doesn’t mention WinFS at all, what he does mention, he summaries well. I’m glad to see the message of what’s going to make Longhorn cool is getting out. : )

If you can't wait for Solitaire, he's a game you can play on Longhorn today, Deepak’s sample implementation of tic-tac-toe in C# and XAML. It also comes with a nice little write-up for your development edification and the source. Enjoy.

It's my belief that the big deal with Avalon is that it gives us much more powerful tools to deal with data visualization and manipulation. Towards that end, Ward turned me onto Edward Tufte at lunch today and I've got “Envisioning Information” on it's way to my house as we speak.

A great number of my google searches end up on www.dotnet247.com, which is a web site that gathers discussions for .NET developers. Matt Reynolds, the proprietor of dotnet247.com has also brought us www.winfx247.com (which I'm sure will be very useful to lots of folks in the not too distant future) and, just recently, www.adminlife.com, which is the dotnet247.com for IT pros/administrators. Myself, I'm looking forward to the day when my 9-year old can administer my network, but for him, I'm sure www.adminlife.com will be a great site. : )

I first heard about Marc Clifton on his work with MyXaml, a declarative UI language that shares a name and some principles with the XAML declarative language in Longhorn, but that works on .NET now. Until today, I had missed his earlier work on this subject: The Application Automation Layer: Introduction And Design, along with the rest of his 51 articles on CodeProject.com (wow).

I’ve never met Marc, but I’d sure like to. He seems like an interesting guy, both because of his work and because of this statement in his CodeProject bio: “Having no formal education in software development, he feels exceptionally qualified to inflict his opinions on the community at large regarding how programming should be done.” Now that’s the kind of attitude I like!

Marc, if you’re going to be in the Pacific Northwest anytime soon, look me up!

The one where I express my surprise that we ever manage to ship anything at all, let alone the best stuff there is.

Roman Kiss has built a little Indigo logging tool that uses Indigo's ability to drop arbitrary code into the message pipline. Very handy for seeing what's really going on at the message level w/o changing any of your code. Personally, I'd like to see an Avalon version (or even a Windows Forms version) just 'cuz I think it'd be prettier. : )

ASP.NET 2.0 gets a ton of deserved press, but the combination of the doubling in functionality of Windows Forms in .NET 2.0 and the new and improved No-Touch Deployment, now called ClickOnce, make smart clients an enormously compelling alternative to web apps when you know that the client is running Windows and .NET.

Michael Weinhardt, who took over my Wonders of Windows Forms column and is the co-author on the 2nd edition of my Windows Forms book, has dedicated himself to shouting the value of Windows Forms 2.0 from the rooftops. Subscribed.