[klaus1012]

Contrary to what many believe, Longhorn won't be built on top of the .Net Framework, we hear. But that might not be a bad thing.  
 
 

Developers say there's a dirty little secret about Longhorn that few Softies are discussing publicly: Longhorn won't be based on the .Net Framework.
We're still expecting that the .Net Framework will ship with Longhorn – on the CD and/or "in the box" in some way. But the .Net Framework won't be at Longhorn's core, we hear.ADVERTISEMENT 
Instead, the .Net Framework will be the core for a small subset of Longhorn, specifically the Windows API Platform (WAP), which consists primarily of the "Avalon" Windows presentation system and the "Indigo" Windows communications system, our tipsters say.

(Maybe Microsoft's revelation on Wednesday that the .Net Framework 2.0 beta is breaking applications has something to do with this? We're waiting for official word back from Microsoft.)

We're guessing that Microsoft will maintain that nothing has changed – that no one ever promised the .Net Framework 2.0 would be the foundation for Longhorn. But developer types we've been chatting with seem to find this update a newsworthy revelation.

"The original plan for Longhorn was to build lots of components on top of the next version of the .Net Framework," according to one of our developer sources, who requested anonymity. "But given how late (.Net Framework 2.0) is, and how new it would be (Microsoft Chairman) Bill Gates realized it would be foolish to build important pieces of Longhorn on top of .Net."

Joel Spolsky, a former Softie and current head of Fog Creek Software, says he has been hearing similar scuttlebutt: "From the rumors I've heard, the Longhorn project has disentangled themselves from .Net, so core operating system functionality will no longer require the .Net framework, which is a good thing: It's clearly not mature enough for implementing operating systems quite yet."

Another developer source, who asked not to be named, says he has been hearing some related hall talk.

"Everything in Longhorn was supposed to be written in C# and to be managed code. But managed code was going to require machines that weren't going to be available for five years or more. So now Microsoft is rewriting everything in Longhorn, the developer says. Developers claim that the Windows team actually began rethinking Microsoft's .Net Framework and managed code promises last summer, around the time of the infamous "Longhorn Reset." (The Longhorn Reset is shorthand for Microsoft's decision to axe certain Longhorn features, most notably WinFS, in order to be able to commit to a 2006 ship date.) 

 
As our sources noted, the decoupling of the .Net Framework from Longhorn isn't bad news disguised in sheep's clothing. There is an upside to the decision. One of our aforementioned folks explains: "A big benefit of the new plan is that developers don't have to move to .Net if they want to use new Longhorn features."
Will Microsoft ever go public on this shift? Or are the Redmondians hoping this is just more insider baseball that will end up relegated to the "ancient history" files? One thing we know is this: Developers are talking. So, what's your two cents on how Longhorn's shaping up?

Talk back below or write me at [email protected] and let me know what you think.

Quelle: KLICK

Dieser Beitrag wurde von klaus1012 bearbeitet: 26. Mai 2005 - 10:01