Brad Abrams posted the Longhorn Architecture and the Longhorn Namespace graphics (PDF version here). These are fun to look at once in a while just to get a visual representation of what Windows looks like from an architecture and a programmatic viewpoint. [The Scobleizer Weblog]
This is the chart I wanted to show everyone. It's of the entire Longhorn architecture.
No other company in the history of computing has been able to put these many resources, timescale or vested interests into such an undertaking. Each little box on this chart is 100 people. CLICK ON IT – for full size. It's worth the journey.
Avalon is the fulfillment of rich media platforms – what we were working on from 1995-2000. The universal canvas metaphor, multimedia personalization, scalable content and the new paradigm of tools – are all based upon having a rich media platform.
Laszlo delivers that platform today, but Avalon nails the coffin on HTML.
WinFS used to be known as Cairo. It's an object-oriented file system, oooops – that's right, it's a SERVICE oriented file system, designed to provide “rdf”-like semantical meaning and structure to ALL processes and data in the system. Based upon WinFS, Microsoft has revamped the very nature of what an operating system is, providing first class object status to Documents (media, files, everything), Messages (email, IM, fax, conferencing) and Contacts – their name for People (which includes organizations, groups and households.)
This is brilliant shit! Having built-in constucts like IM, photo albums or people choosers means that NO app or service will go without these features! EVERYTHING can share everything else.
Indigo is the pen-ultimate. The cat's meow. The symbol that Microsoft knows it has won. Indigo is a universal connector joint, uniting the concept of security, identity and SOA (services oriented architecture) to ALL kinds of web services, protocols and data structures. Taking it's lead from IBMs WebSphere – Indigo is one of those architectures that does everything for everybody. It appears to do it fairly, openly and with support for everything we care about.
We're (Broadband Mechanics) are Indigo developers.
In the future – it's ALL about connecting Islands together. Indigo creates the causeways, those long narrow lo-riding bridges that create Archipelago's from disparate Islands. [Marc's Voice]