There seems to be a common misconception that since Avalon windows/pages are/can be declared in markup (XAML), it must be a web killer/reach solution. It’s not.

In this short video, Joe Beda, answers the question of whether Avalon is meant to replace HTML/the web (it’s not) and what’s Avalon’s message of “best of the web/best of Windows” message is really about, e.g. ease of deployment for Avalon apps like web apps, accessing central services for data and functionality (using web services instead of client UI generation), etc.

Channel9 has a Longhorn Wiki and on it, Adam Kinney has started a list of Longhorn Blogs. Want to add your own? Click on the Edit link on the top left.

I gave a talk at the Twin Cities .NET User Group in Minneapolis in January and I met a guy there building a web sit to crawl .NET source code on the web. I didn't get his contact info and he didn't email me, so I don't know how to get a hold of him. If that's you, please drop me a line. Thanks!

Wow. I've seen bits and drops of Whidbey (I'm limited to builds that work on Longhorn), so haven't seen the grand, overall vision of it. In the latest Microsoft Developer Tool Roadmap, they whole darn thing is laid out and the new stuff goes on forever! Details are presented for IDE enhancements, language enhancements for VB, C#, C++ and J#, Windows Forms, ASP.NET, devices, ADO.NET, web services, Office, SQL Server, Analysis and Design (aka "Whitehorse") and even a bit about what's coming in Longhorn on the tools side. Holy New Stuff, Batman!

Jason Nadal has posted an RSS reader that uses the Longhorn text-to-speech APIs to actually read you the morning news while you do other things. Includes source.

Here.

Kevin Lindsey has been exploring Avalon and posting some things he didn’t expect. I love how he posts pictures of what he expected alongside of what he actually got:

• Possible Avalon SpreadMethod Bug
• Possible Avalon LinearGradient Bug
• Avalon Missing Pen Functionality
• Possible Avalon Rectangle Stroke Bug

Keep it up, Kevin!

Ryan has posted a nice, consise write-up of getting started writing help in Longhorn.

Apparently Robert had a conversation with a customer that was holding up .NET adoption because Longhorn was coming with Avalon. If you’re already planning on building Longhorn-only applications, more power to you, but most folks will need to write apps that run on other versions of Windows for some time to come. For those folks, we have .NET and Windows Forms today and for at least another decade. Let’s do the math:

• According to recent industry rumor, Longhorn won’t ship ’til 2006.
• According to our internal OS folks, a new OS isn’t ubiquitous enough to target it as a base for new consumer application work for 6 years.
• Even 2 years after .NET was available everywhere, people are still actively doing the MFC and VB6 thing.
• 2 years ’til 2006 + 6 years ’til ubiquity + 2 years not doing the new thing = 10 years of good, strong life left in Windows Forms at least.

In spite of my love on Avalon, I’m so confidendent that Windows Forms has a life left that I’m working with Mike on Windows Forms Programming 2/e. A book is hard enough that you don’t do it if the topic is dead, so that’s me putting my time (and Addison-Wesley’s money) where my mouth is.