November 7, 2006; 05:56 AM
Microsoft Corp. today unveiled new technologies that enable
developers to build next-generation interactive applications for
Windows Vista, the 2007 Microsoft Office system and the Web. The new
technologies are designed to help developers build Web services and
connected, service-oriented applications that deliver the levels of
security, reliability and differentiation that business and consumers
expect.
“With the release of Windows Vista and the
2007 Microsoft Office system, the sky is really the limit on what
developers can build — from applications that deliver advanced data
visualization to highly connected line-of-business solutions,” said
Scott Guthrie, general manager of the Developer Division at Microsoft,
during his keynote speech at the Visual Studio Connections event. “By
embracing trends such as AJAX and delivering new technologies for
Windows and Microsoft Office, we are opening the door to entirely new
levels of innovation in the software industry while still allowing
developers to use their existing skill sets.”
With easy-to-use
tools and APIs designed to ensure immediate productivity and a superior
user experience, developers can now begin building and testing their
applications in advance of the broad availability of Windows Vista and
the 2007 Microsoft Office system. The technologies announced today
include the following:
• The release to manufacturing of
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0, which provides advances for building
rich, interactive client applications ( Windows Presentation Foundation
), communication and workflow ( Windows Communication Foundation and
Windows Workflow Foundation ) and online identity management ( Windows
CardSpace ).
• The availability to MSDN® Premium subscribers of
Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system on release to
manufacturing.
• The availability of Visual Studio 2005
extensions for the .NET Framework 3.0, a series of plug-ins and project
templates that enable developers to use Visual Studio 2005 to build
.NET Framework 3.0 solutions.
• The release to manufacturing of
Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office for the 2007 Microsoft Office
system to build solutions for the six major applications in the 2007
Microsoft Office system: Office Word, Office Excel®, Office Outlook®,
Office PowerPoint®, Office Visio® and Office InfoPath®. Visual Studio
2005 Tools for Office for the 2007 Microsoft Office system enables
developers to build scalable, robust line-of-business applications that
leverage the functionality of the 2007 Microsoft Office system.
•
Beta 2 of ASP.NET AJAX Extensions and the Microsoft Asynchronous
JavaScript and XML ( AJAX ) Library ( collectively called ASP.NET AJAX
), formerly codenamed “Atlas,” is a free framework that allows
developers to quickly create a new generation of more-efficient,
more-interactive and highly personalized Web experiences that work
across the most popular browsers.
• The release candidate of
Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 Compact Edition, a new offering for
essential relational database functionality in a compact footprint. By
sharing a familiar SQL Server syntax and common ADO.NET programming
model with other editions of SQL Server, SQL Server Compact Edition
allows developers and administrators to apply their existing skills and
be immediately productive. The release candidate is available via
download at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/compact.
Customers Begin to Ship Solutions Now
Customers
have already begun to deliver solutions using the innovative new
features in Windows Vista and the .NET Framework 3.0. Mail order and
online consumer purchasing leader OTTO uses the power of the .NET
Framework 3.0 to create a new shopping experience for more than 10
million retail customers. Consequently, OTTO is able to position itself
as a thought leader and innovator in a highly competitive market.
“The
OTTO Store is the next-generation shopping experience — fun, personal,
confident and secure,” said Thomas Schnieders, vice president of New
Media at OTTO. “We could not have delivered this exciting new user
experience without the advantages that Windows Presentation Foundation
and CardSpace provide.”
These latest technologies have already
enabled companies to build compelling Web solutions and realize
immediate gains in developer productivity and end-user experience.
“Burton
Web site visitors are generally young, tech-savvy kids with extremely
high expectations for the content on burton.com,” said Bryan Johnston,
vice president of Global Marketing at Burton Snowboards. “We need to
give our customers the information and features they want so they come
back to our Web site over and over again. Microsoft technologies such
as ASP.NET AJAX help us deliver the optimal user experience our
customers demand.”
Learning and Training Resources Available Now
To
enable successful deployment and use of Microsoft products and
technologies, Microsoft Learning extends the customer readiness promise
to the next generation of Microsoft technologies and offers the latest
training products for developers. Along with the upcoming release of
the .NET Framework 3.0, training for ASP.NET 2.0 AJAX is now available,
with additional offerings for the .NET Framework 3.0 and Visual Studio
2005 Tools for Office for the 2007 Microsoft Office system, shipping in
the next few months. Information on the latest learning and training
resources from Microsoft is online at http://www.microsoft.com/learning.
Product Information and Availability
The
.NET Framework 3.0, Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office for the 2007
Microsoft Office system, ASP.NET AJAX and Visual Studio 2005 extensions
for the .NET Framework 3.0 are available for immediate download on http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio.
Founded
in 1975, Microsoft ( Nasdaq “MSFT” ) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
realize their full potential.
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