28 Oct 08 Microsoft lays out Silverlight ambitions
A Microsoft official cited on Tuesday improvements planned for the company's Silverlight platform for rich Internet applications, including intentions to run Silverlight applications outside of a browser.
This intention was among a list of various software development improvements eyed for Microsoft technologies, all mentioned during a presentation at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles. The company also revealed tools geared for cloud services and parallel computing.
[ Keep up with the news from Microsoft's PDC with InfoWorld's special report ]
Microsoft's Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the company's developer division, said a "major" release of Silverlight planned for next year includes runtime features, much richer graphics, and data support, he said. More media capabilities are planned as well.
Guthrie also said attendees would learn how to run Silverlight inside and outside a browser. This would put Microsoft into the Adobe camp, which enables Internet applications to run outside the browser via Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime).
Also, the planned Visual Studio 2010 development platform will build further on Silverlight, featuring a fully interactive Silverlight designer.
Microsoft, Guthrie said, is shipping a toolkit for Silverlight 2 with such capabilities as charting controls.
Additionally, Guthrie cited the release Tuesday of a WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) toolkit offering support for data grid, date picker, and calendar control. Also, Microsoft is offering a WPF ribbon control for the Windows 7, Vista, and XP client OSes. Developers can ribbon-enable their applications, Guthrie said.
Other product efforts mentioned by Guthrie included:
* Availability of Intellisense developer support for the JQuery JavaScript library in Visual Studio
* Plans for ASP.Net 4.0, which will have substantial improvements to ASP.Net Web Forms, control over the client ID, and much richer support for Cascading Style Sheets
* Plans to have built-in JavaScript debugging and profiles in the Internet Explorer 8 browser
Microsoft at PDC on Tuesday also plans to offer enhancements for the company's newly announced Azure platform for cloud computing and also for parallel programming.
The company is announcing Community Technology Previews of Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio and the Live Framework Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio. Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio enables developers to build ASP.Net Web applications hosted by Windows Azure. Developers can develop, debug, and deploy Web applications from within Visual Studio.
Featured in Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio is the Windows Azure SDK, including a simulated cloud environment that runs on a developer's machine.
The CTP of Live Framework Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio enables developers to build Web applications using HTML and Microsoft Silverlight that use Live Services. Applications can be published to the company's Live Mesh connectivity platform.
In the parallel computing space, Microsoft is announcing enhancements to make it easier to build applications, including programming models to express concurrency. Tools for parallel programming include .Net Framework libraries like Task Parallel Library and Parallel LINQ (Language Integrated Query). The company also is offering its Parallel Pattern Library and Concurrency Runtime for developing applications with C++ and parallel profiling and debugging experiences.
Tagi: jquery javascript library, cascading style sheets, mentied, scott guthrie, javascript debugging, product efforts, media capabilities, silverlight, substantial improvements, corporate vice president, s scott, microsoft official, date picker, data grid, mic
10 Apr 10 Apple turns the screws on iPhone developers - or is Adobe the real target?
Apple has introduced a new clause to its iPhone developer licence that restricts the languages that can be used to write apps. Adobe isn't mentioned, but it is the apparent target of the change.
Tagi: mentied, developer licence, target, iphone, screws, adobe, developers, apple, languages
03 Jul 10 Diaspora On Schedule, One Month In
schlick writes with word that the Diaspora project (last mentioned here several weeks back) has an update with a demo and some screen shots. Diaspora's goal: to provide social networking without the privacy invasion possibilities inherent in sites like Facebook.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Tagi: mentied, social networking, screen shots, possibilities, demo
10 Aug 10 At Gizmodo Gallery: Charity and Prizes [Gizmodo Gallery]
If you're not already on your way to the NOW OPEN Gizmodo Gallery to see all of the amazing gadgets we've brought together, here's another reason to come: sweet prize giveaways.
Here's how it works—donate over $10 or bring a brand new toy for Toys for Tots, and you'll be entered into the drawing for prizes. Want some incentive beyond helping the needy and unfortunate in these financially trying times? How 'bout all this cool stuff?
• Dyson's Han Solo blaster-looking Root 6 hand vac
• Lego, Lego, Lego
• A cornucopia from Logitech: two premium Kinetik laptop cases, two PureFi sound docks, some V550 mice, two pair of ClearChat headsets and more.
• A few Zunes (Obama's secret favorite portable player)
• Xbox 360
• SanDisk Sansa 8GB Fuze, 8GB Clip, 8GB Ultra MicroSD card and more
• Over a dozen pieces of certified excellent geek apparel from Gama-go
• Agent 18 iPod cases, Ten One Design Pogo iPhone stylus and a pink mStation Orb dock
• SmartShopper personal shopping list maker
• Hercules Wii Accessory Pack
• Several beautiful TokyoFlash watches
• A few crazy Thanko USB gadgets
• The lovable Wi-Fi beanbag Chumby
• Wicked Laser to start some forest fires
• Not enough for you? There's even more to come...
Special thanks to all those companies mentioned above for donating products for our fundraiser!!
We'll also publish a gallery of winners later on, so everyone can see how charitable you are. It's for a great cause, unless you hate children. We really hope to see you, even if you are a cheap bastard!
Tagi: brand new toy, mentied, cheap bastard, chumby, prize giveaways, tokyoflash, forest fires, ipod cases, persal, hand vac, dozen pieces, smartshopper, wii, accessory pack, dys, reas, xbox 360, laptop cases, trying times, toys for tots
