Jim Kayler @ Blogs | Hear From Our Software Thought Leaders | InnerWorkings

A Vista Perspective…

Jim Kayler — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 08:20:00 +0000

It’s been some time since my last entry, and as so often happens, life and work tend to get in the way of free time and useless activities. “You know put off today…Yada…Yada…Yada…”; Oh well…!!

In any case, I have a whole lot of things floating around in the brain pan, unfortunately trying to pull together a cohesive topic worth talking about, from everything I’ve been thinking about is proving rather difficult at 12:20 am. So I think that I will just talk a bit about Vista and the Vista climate and see where it goes from there.

With that being said, let’s get into something techie!! I’m sure that, unless you’ve been hiding under rocks lately you know that the Vista release date is creeping up on us; presumably in November for MSDN subscribers. Also, as we all know Vista is now in RC2 release and has been met with quite an interesting bit of scrutiny, at least in the blogoshpere. I have come across several posts and threads on the web and I have been surprised by some of the commentary that I have seen. It seems that the web is full of “experts” that could write a perfect operating system with little to no effort and it would have no issues. At least that’s what a lot of the posts appear to be preaching anyway. I do have to say that I have gotten quite a kick out of reading some of the posts, though.

Now before I go any further, let me just say that I am not an OS expert, let alone a Vista expert. I also am not affiliated with Microsoft in any way other than as a user of their products. Now Back to my point; it seems to me that writing an operating system is a difficult and monumental task. Not to mention having to write one that you are expecting people to actually use. :-) I think that a lot of the people, non-techies and developers alike, tend to forget that. It also seems as if some individuals think that Microsoft is writing the operating system for them and only them. Kinda’ selfish, huh!!

I think that we all need to keep things in a little bit of perspective. From my perspective, Microsoft is a company that is in the business of making software for a “wide” range of users. They are also in the business of making software to make money. Heaven forbid!! Now they don’t always get it exactly the way we want it, but who does? Has anybody ever written a piece of software that was bug free, had all of the exact features that it needed, was loved by everyone and was delivered on time. I think not. If you have, then maybe you should get into the business of writing OS’s. I know that I’ve made a mistake or two; not that I’d ever admit to it in public of course. :-)

Anyway, all I am saying is let’s try to give things a fair chance before we criticize too heavily. After all, Microsoft has been catching quite a bit of crap from the development and technical communities for the long development cycles and the extended release dates. Once they get closer to releasing the software we are all begging for, we give them even larger amounts of crap for delivering the product before it’s ready. Can we make up our mind already..??

I know that Vista is not going to be perfect when it is released, and I will probably be cussing it out the first time that it inconveniences me, however I am excited about the foundations that have been built into the system this time around. Not all of it is sexy or flashy, but it definitely sets the stage for some really cool things in the future. So let’s try to embrace the goodness and look forward and contribute to the possibilities!!

Time to put away the soapbox….1:20am.

New Technology Overview - WinFX, AJAX, & Atlas

Jim Kayler — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 09:06:00 +0000

Lately with the barrage of new technologies showing up on the horizon; there has been a flood of acronyms coming from the Microsoft camp; obviously, for those of us involved with the technology, this scenario makes for difficulty in trying to keep up and learn the new skills and tools.

Now; let?s for a second, try to imagine that we are not technical individuals and are working for a technology company; and our job it to sell, and (or) evangelize products that utilize or will utilize some of these new technologies, that we don?t really understand and are now having to speak to. Not to mention trying to remember and understand what all of the acronyms, nicknames, and verbiage mean. Let?s face it, after a while all this stuff can get a bit confusing and start to blend into a techno-colored rainbow. It is as bad as trying to keep up with the ?super secret? ?code-names? for the pre-release wares.

With that being said, I put together some very brief high level explanations of some of the new Microsoft technologies coming down the pipe; more specifically, WinFX and Atlas technologies. Most of this information was put together to help some of our internal folks get a handle on things, and is geared toward a more high-level (non-techy) audience, so I tried to keep the techno-speak down and just give some details and remove some of the ambiguity that may be present. Even though this was done as an internal company exercise, I thought that I might share the info for anyone who would like a little more clarity on the technologies at hand. Also, I will add my 2 cents worth, along the way to fill in some gaps as necessary.

So, without further ado, let?s get to the goods.

WinFX Technologies Overview

WinFX —- .NET Framework 3.0

WinFX has now been renamed to the .NET Framework 3.0 and I am sure
that most everybody in the tech sector is aware of this, as I am also pretty
sure that this “neat” little renaming has added to the level of confusion that already surrounds the WinFX technologies. So, hopefully as we move along; this post can help to clear things up a bit.

What is WinFX
— (.NET Framework 3.0)

A new (managed (CLR compliant)) Windows API that is designed to be the next generation ‘native’ Windows OS development platform.
- Is an integrated part of the Windows Vista OS
- Meant to be a replacement for the current Win32 API
WinFX consists of several different Run-Time components
- WCS (formerly InfoCard)
- WCF (formerly Indigo)
- WPF (formerly Avalon)
- WF (formerly WWF)
- .NET Framework 2.0 —- Notice the confusion

First, let?s take a look at each of these components
individually, starting with the .NET Framework 2.0, since this is really the
foundation for the WinFX (.NET 3.0) Framework. Confusing huh??

Beware - Rant Zone:

?I was actually quite happy with WinFX as
the product name, it seemed to have a pretty good wring and it was unique. Now with the onset of renaming of the framework to .NET Framework 3.0, which encompasses the .NET 2.0 framework;
(among other things), confusion seems imminent. Why not just leave the name at WinFX, or
if a change was necessary ?to remove confusion?, why not use something like
WinNG ? (Windows Next Gen. Platform) or something catchy like that ?Sounds cool, looks cool, and makes some semblance of sense. At least IMHO. Of course, what do I know, I am not a ?marketing? guy. But I
digress!!!?

Now back to the point!!

.NET Framework 2.0 (for the sake of clarity)

What is .NET Framework

The Microsoft Managed (CLR compliant) Development API for developing applications. Includes support for multiple programming languages including VB.NET, C#, C++, and J#
Consists of essentially 4 main components
- ADO.NET - Managed Data Access API
- ASP.NET - Managed Web Application Development API
- Windows Forms - Managed Desktop Application API
- CLR (Common Language Runtime)
  - The .NET Engine
  - Responsible for several actions
    - Memory management
    - Thread management
    - Security management
    - Code Verification
    - Code Compilation

As you can see, the .NET Framework is the base set of APIs that were used in the Development of the.NET Framework 3.0 Framework (WinFX).

Now, let?s look at the rest of
the WinFX (.NET 3.0 Framework) components.

WCS (Windows CardSpace —- Formerly InfoCard)

What is WCS??

New security model for providing multiple digital security identities across credentials providers, sites, applications, and users
Four (4) main aspects of this technology
- Provide support for any digital identity system
- Provide consisten user control of digital identity
- Replacement of password-based Web login
- Improve user confidence in the identity of remote applications
WCS implements an intuitive user interface for working with digital identities
- Essentially a Digital locker containing the available virtual “ID Cards”

How does WCS work??

Basic Steps: (User Logging into Application using WCS)

The application being accessed gets the security token requirements of the relying party (website/application host) that the user wishes to access

Next, the application passes this information to WCS; asking it to request a token from an appropriate identity provider

WCS then gives the token to the application which passes it on to the relying party. The relying party can then use this token to either authenticate the user, set permissions, or for some other purpose

WCF (Windows Communication Foundation —- Formerly Indigo)

What is WCF??

New breed of communications infrastructure built around the Web services architecture as a new means for creating applications and (or) systems that rely on a distributed architecture
Four (4) main aspects of this technology
- Provide support for any digital identity system
- Provide consisten user control of digital identity
- Replacement of password-based Web login
- Improve user confidence in the identity of remote applications
WCS implements an intuitive user interface for working with digital identities
- Essentially a Digital locker containing the available virtual “ID Cards”

How does WCF work??

Follows the “software as a service” model, where all units of functionality are defined as services

A WCF Service is a program that exposes a collection of Endpoints. Each Endpoint is a portal (connection) for communication with either clients (applications) or other ?services?
Enables greater design flexibility and extensibility of distributed systems architectures

A WCF application is represented as a collection of services with multiple entry points for communications

WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation —- Formerly Avalon)

What is WPF??

The new graphical subsystem of Windows (Managed)
- Included with Vista
- Available for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1
- Provides a consistent programming model for building graphical applications
  - Using a Markup language (XAML) and (or) .NET Code
  - Works for both Desktop and Browser based applications
- Enables richer control, design, and development of the visual aspects of Windows programs
  - Provides support for
    - 2D and 3D graphics
    - Fixed and adaptive documents
    - Vector graphics
    - Raster Graphics
    - Animation
    - Data-Binding
    - Audio
    - Video

How to work with WPF??

New Toolset Developed by Microsoft for working with WPF

Microsoft Expression Suite
- Expression Graphic Designer
  - Used for creating Vector and Pixel based graphics
- Expression Interactive Designer
  - Used for creating Advanced, Intuitive Graphical Interfaces
- Expression Web Designer
  - Used for creating highly standardized Web Sites

A WCF application is represented as a collection of services with multiple entry points for communications

WPF (Windows Workflow Foundation —- Formerly WWF)

What is WF??

Enables Business processes to be expressed graphically and linked directly to the business logic
- Programming model, engine, and tools for quickly building workflow enabled applications on Windows
- Provides a set of general-purpose activities that cover most control flow constructs
- Workflow can be expressed in either declarative XAML or in imperative code using any .NET-targeted language
  - Workflows can be developed visually through Visual Studio Designers (drag-drop)

That should just about do it; as far as a quick overview of the WinFX (.NET 3.0 Framework). As you can see, WinFX is a fairly inclusive SDK that is designed with the idea of fostering more ?managed code? development around the Windows platform, through the use of robust APIs and libraries.

Now, let’s review AJAX

AJAX Overview

What is AJAX??

First thing to note:
- NOT a Microsoft technology
AJAX stands for
- Asynchronous Javascript and XML
Ajax is a Web development technique for developing interactive web applications
- Essentially reduces a Web Page?s need to refresh/reload after each user action
Is intended to make web pages feel more responsive: (like a desktop app)
- Exchanges small amounts of data with the server to eliminate Post Backs (Page Refreshing) for every action
- Increases a Web Page?s interactivity, speed, and usability

How does AJAX work??

The AJAX technique uses a combination of technologies in it?s implementation:
- XHTML (or HTML), CSS Cascading Style Sheets)
  - Used for marking up and styling data for display to the user
- Client-side scripting language (usually JavaScript)
  - Used to dynamically display and interact with the information being presented
- XML
  - Used as the means for transferring data between the server and the client during the communications
  - Defines the transport protocol (the Pipeline)

As you probably guessed by reading the descriptions for AJAX; these techniques can be used without the need for any additional Microsoft applications for support. In essence anybody with the a good text editor and the ability to publish a web-site can develop AJAX enabled web applications. However, Microsoft is putting together an offering that is being tagged as Making AJAX development easier and more robust. Hence the onset of Atlas (yet another acronym)!!!

Finally, let’s quickly discuss Atlas

What is Atlas??

Atlas is a package of Microsoft technologies with some specific objectives
- It is designed to allow easier implementation of AJAX in Web Application Development
- This package (framework) is meant to Apply and extend the AJAX approach to Web Development
- It allows for the implementation of AJAX enabled Web Applications built on the .NET Framework

How does AJAX work??

Atlas provides a set client-side script libraries as an extension to ASP.NET
Is said to work with IE, Firefox, Mozilla, and Safari
- With no modifications

To wrap up the AJAX / Atlas Overview, I am going to mention a couple of popular AJAX enabled Web Applications already in widespread use. You have probably either already used them or have most certainly heard of them.

Examples of AJAX enabled Applications??

Microsoft Virtual Earth
- Virtual Earth
Outlook Web Access (OWA)

And there you have it. A fairly high level quick overview of the technologies surrounding WinFX and AJAX that are on the horizon from the Microsoft camp. Hopefully the information that has been provided in this post will help to give a better understanding of some exciting new technologies, as well as decipher the hidden meanings behind the shroud of acronyms that are currently plaguing the technology sector. All good stuff, yet sometimes confusing and hard to grasp without knowing where to start.

Some final thoughts:

I personally am excited about the advent of all the up and coming technologies, even though at times I have no idea how I am going to get ahead of the curve for getting up to speed on this stuff. In any case this is definitely an exciting time to be involved in technology and it is easy to see that the industry as a whole is gearing up for another big shift. If Microsoft’s gamble pays off by rolling out the host of software that is currently baking, and adoption of these new technologies is “relatively” quick and widespread, then we could all be in for an exciting ride of new, innovative applications that we will get to build and use; and that is the “fun stuff”.

So, buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Interesting and Relevant Article

Jim Kayler — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 01:48:00 +0000

I recently read an interesting article from a link in one of the several newsletters that are constantly filling my inbox. Even though I don’t necessarily remember ever signing up for most of them, I still try to sift through the quagmire of “junk” for an intesting tidbit that may be hiding in the muck.

It just so happens that I was spending some time “sifting” recently, and I stumbled across an article; penned by the ever entertaining and profound Billy Hollis. Apparently, he has had some of the same thoughts and ideas regarding the extreme influx of technologies and techno “stuff” as I have.

( see my post on 2.24.06 for reference- http://cs.innerworkings.com/blogs/jim_kayler/archive/2006/02/24/24.aspx )

Knowing that people the likes of Billy Hollis are experiencing the same anxieties, (about keeping up with the technology), as the rest of us “mere mortals“, makes me feel a bit better. Not bad company to have, I guess!!

So, I thought that I would pass on the article, I found it pretty interesting!!

http://www.ftponline.com/weblogger/forum.aspx?ID=18&DATE=02/11/2006&blog=#532

Enjoy…

Late Night Contemplation….

Jim Kayler — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:03:00 +0000

As I sit here at my computer on yet another late night technical adventure, (although not really a late night as far as late nights go, (approx. 1am)), I find myself comtemplating the state of technology and the break-neck pace that things appear to be moving. It seems to me that everyday I come across some new and intriguing technology or some new idea that I am interested in. So, I do some research take some notes, try a few things to get better acquainted with my new found technical treasure and without delay, this new found treasure ends up being added to the pile of cool and interesting things that I “am going to spend time to learn more about“. When in reality, I know that I don’t have nearly enough time to get to the “COOL” stuff, let alone the everyday necessary activities. Although I shall never discard the pile of stuff to learn about, in hopes that someday I will be able to requisition for extra minutes in an hour, extra hours in a day, or maybe even an extra day in my week.

However until I am able to somehow accomplish that colossal task I am going to have to settle for cherry picking the technologies that I think have some good potential and look like they will have some great benefit in the future. So to reflect on that a little, I have come across a few technologies that I really like and plan to spend more time discussing in future posts. For now, I will just introduce!

First, and a fairly obvious choice, though it exist today, is generics. This technology has been needed in the dotnet framwork since the framework was first released. The idea of creating generic collections or datatypes instead of having to worry about casting and boxing and unboxing all the time is very intriguing and I am very pleased that it has made its way into the .NET 2.0 framework. So, I will be discussing that, along with some code, of course!!

Next, and probably one of the things that I am looking most forward to getting more familiar with is LINQ and its iterations. I think that the direction that Microsoft, with the tutelage of Anders, is taking data access and data manipulation in the future is going to make life easier and working with data a lot more attractive. I am really looking forward to having LINQ. For those not aware, LINQ is Language Integrated Query, which in its simplest form is making data access code, SQL and the Like, a first class citizen within a respective language, both VB.NET and C#. So I will be talking about that in the near future as well.

Another technology that I am excited about is ‘Sparkle’ or Microsoft Expression Interactive Designer. Personally I like the name Sparkle better. Although this technology is not a tru developer tool, the promise that it shows for bridging the gap between UI design and Application development, I find very intriguing. So, I will discuss this as well.

So to end, I just want to say that I will be discussing and talking about various things; some technical, some not, some factual, some opinion and some just for fun. There will be many technical discussions, including but definitely not limited to the ones I mentioned here. I plan to rant a lot.

I’ll talk at ya’ later…..