In this concept video, Carter Maslan, Longhorn evangelist, shows off secure, peer-to-peer networking using pub/sub in Indigo, Longhorn's identity management, organizing data using WinFS metadata relationships, using DRM to keep patient data confidential and some more ClickOnce s/w installation. The application itself shows off a specialist working remotely on a set of real x-rays showing a real case of a person incorrectly sent home having inhaled something he shouldn't and who could have really used a specialist on demand.

As I’ve mentioned, the reason we’re put the Longhorn preview bits out so early is so that we can get feedback at a time when things can still change. So, when you see Brad Abrams, Chris Anderson or any of the other dozens of MS PMs and Architects hanging out on the web ask for feedback on what they can do to make things better, take them up on it! Don’t be shy. If you hate something, tell us so we can change it! If you love something, tell us so we don’t change it!

Even if there isn’t any specific blog entry to which you can reply, start or your or post something to the WinFX newsgroups. We’ve got members of the Longhorn team looking everywhere for your feedback. For example, yesterday Dino posted a theory he had about developer reaction to some particular aspect of the new Longhorn programming model. Rob Relyea saw that post and today he’s soliciting more feedback on XAML compound property syntax and XAML as a whole, the latter specifically becase of Dino’s post.

If you care enough about Longhorn to be running it at this stage, you really should take these guys up on their offers and use the newsgroups. And if you’re afraid that you’re not getting your feedback seen, drop me a line. I can’t guanartee that your feedback will be incorporated, but I can make sure the right folks see it.

Rob Relyea, a Lead PM on the Avalon team, talks about the chief design motivation for XAML, describes the current compound property syntax and then asks if developers would like it to change. Personally, I really like the current compound property syntax, especially given the choices, but Rob doesn't care what I think, he cares what you think. Go tell him.

Dino’s gotten some interesting feedback from his XAML-based articles. Apparently he’s hearing from “real programmers” that don’t want to “recycle themselves as web designers.” This feeling Dino has dubbed “un-programming” and it’s the idea that XAML takes away the need to code.

XAML is most of what’s needed to build trade-show apps, that’s true. But look at your apps today: How much of your web app is HTML and how much is C# or VB.NET? How much of your Windows Forms app is in the InitializeComponent method and how much is code? While XAML can also be used for general-purpose object creation and initialization, as far as the UI of your app is concerned, all XAML does is replace the HTML or InitializeComponent method. The power of what Avalon can do is separate the UI from the code so that trained designers can work on the specifics of the UI, while real developers work on the specifics of handling events and hooking up the business logic and talking to the back-end datastore.

I know that as a Microsoft flunky, the value of my reasoning is now suspect. So don’t listen to me. Listen to Dino:

“XAML is the hot new toy for app developers, and articles inevitably emphasizes that. However, there’s life beyond XAML. And by life here I mean code, managed code, classes, methods, delegates, events and the like. XAML is a shortcut much like ASPX tags in ASP.NET. Believe me, you wouldn’t do much with XAML alone and without smart C# or VB.NET code.

“XAML (and the Longhorn programming style) is not the negation (and let alone the death) of programming.”

Last time, Ryan Dawson posted a fun Avalon sample showing system information using graphics and animation. Today he’s back exploring the use of WinFS to build a tiny CRM app.

Karsten wraps up his book, “Developer Guide to Migration and Interoperability in ‘Longhorn’”, with a chapter on recommendations for preparing to make the best of your Windows Forms code under Longhorn. This chapter includes sample source code.

Karsten Jkdjflksjdf (or however you spell his last name : ) pointed out two excellent security articles today. The first is “Developing Software in Visual Studio .NET with Non-Administrative Privileges.” Longhorn applications are going to run much better assuming fewer privileges, so getting yourself out of the habit of testing and running your own code as an Administrator is something you can do today to prepare for Longhorn tomorrow.

Another excellent article on this topic is from Keith Brown, a DevelopMentor colleague and security arch-Nemesis of mine (he never did like my plan of branding “bad” applications by setting the first bit to 1 instead of 0… : ). Item #7 in Keith’s online book in progress, A .NET Developer’s Guide to Windows Security, is entitled “How to develop code as a non-admin” and well worth the read for the practical advise as well as Keith’s pleasant writing style.

Oliver Drobnik extracted a question out of a Q&A session with BillG asking about speech recognition in Longhorn. After BillG makes a very funny comment, he talks about the current state of speech recognition and synthesis today and a bit about the plan for Longhorn.

And Oliver? I’d rather not know what you’re planning on commanding your computer to do… : )