tomwarren Veteran Posted October 29, 2003 Veteran Share Posted October 29, 2003 First part of a series of guides for the main features of Longhorn here at Neowin for those wanting to know more about specific technologies included in Microsoft Windows Code Name "Longhorn" What is Avalon? Avalon is the next-generation platform for Windows client applications. It combines the best features of the Web such as ease of deployment and rich mix of application and content with the power of the Win32 development platform to enable developers to build a new breed of applications that are robust and take real advantage of the connectivity, storage, and graphical capabilities of the modern PC. Avalon is not just about User Interface and Rich Graphics, although that is an important part, the overarching goal of Avalon is that it offer a common managed code exposure to all the capabilities of the Personal Computer including storage, communications, documents, multimedia etc. Will Avalon applications work much like Win32 applications? They could, but Avalon will offer a number of features that will make them work much better. Avalon applications take advantage of a variety of services, including an efficient storage mechanism for application code and documents, and automatic persistence of the application state. What will Avalon offer that we can?t get from .NET?b> Avalon should be viewed as a powerful set of client side technologies that enable .NET to truly exploit the power of the smart client. It provides services ranging from local storage, to graphics and multimedia, to connectivity, in order to enrich the user experience and provide interactive, media rich applications. What will the Avalon presentation layer look like?b> In terms of our current OS, Avalon will provide a replacement for the presentation layer that is currently provided by Internet Explorer/Trident, User, GDI+, and Cicero. Avalon will also be closely integrated with parts of the Shell for Longhorn and even more so for versions of Windows after that. What kind of graphics support will Avalon provide?b> It will take advantage of the merged graphics functionality of GDI+ and DirectX, as well as the Media Framework from the Digital Media Division as well as providing a rich vector based format with support for SVG markup language.How will Avalon handle networking support?b> Avalon will provide all the support needed to create a fully connected client application. In the short-term, WinHTTP will replace WinInet. In the long-term, Avalon will provide support for a variety of networking services, including peer-to-peer networking, consumption of Web Services, and Hailstorm/Rainstorm. What will Avalon provide for data services?b> Avalon will expose the new Windows storage functionality available in Longhorn. Built on SQL technology this will allow us to provide online and offline storage, a powerful data binding model and a collection of data oriented controls. Avalon is the platform for the next-generation of Microsoft? Windows? client applications. It will create a new presentation platform by combining the best features of the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) and Win32 development platforms. Avalon will support the transition from stand-alone client applications to connected Microsoft? .NET applications. Avalon intends to re-energize Windows as a platform for developing client applications. Currently, .NET is heavily server-oriented with the client-side user interface largely limited to HTML 3.2. Avalon extends the Microsoft .NET strategy to include the client and differentiate Windows. Avalon will enable developers to combine the rich end-user experience of a Win32 application with the power of server-based .NET servicWhat is Aero?? Aero is the new Windows user experience. Aero consists of guidelines, recommendations, and user experience values that help developers applications get the most out of the Microsoft? Windows? Code Name "Longhorn" pillars: rich presentation (Code Name "Avalon"), data (Code Name "WinFS"), and communication (Code Name "Indigo"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macster Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Thanks for the info Creamhackered ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuarterSwede Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 This ought to clear a lot of misconceptions up. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ev1lg0at Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Thanks for the info :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NetGX Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Thanx for the info Creamhackered :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chenghow Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Not sure if I'm making sense... but I wonder if someone could give a Win9x/2k/XP equivalent (term/name) of Avalon / Aero, if any? Some familiar term might allow us to understand it much more easily than reading a paragraph of explanations / descriptions of (new) concepts? :) But anyway, thanks lots to creamhackered for the time/effort put into giving us such detailed information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fast_carz_ Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 nicely done creamhackered u should make more info on longhorn for newbies :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsnotabigtruck Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Avalon is just the presentation layer, not the API. This is a common misconception. WinFX is the new Windows API. Both are written in managed code. A lot of people are also confusing (including one Microsoft person) that WinFS is storage and WinFX is the new API. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
win_man Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 great info :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canbeli Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 thanks. AND, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, you can visit http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/longhorn_alpha.asp and http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/#whistler hope it will help!!! :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futb0l Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Avalon is just the presentation layer, not the API. This is a common misconception. WinFX is the new Windows API. Both are written in managed code. A lot of people are also confusing (including one Microsoft person) that WinFS is storage and WinFX is the new API. hehe - WinFX is that stardock program - will we see a law case here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wero Posted January 29, 2004 Share Posted January 29, 2004 nice info retreiving wonder how much is microsoft will ask for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimitris Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Nice Info!Hopefully we will see it in the following builds! As for now "slate" is a transformation of the Windows XP presentation layer! Isn't it? :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForkliftDude Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 hehe - WinFX is that stardock program - will we see a law case here? the stardock tool is called WindowFX and not WinFX. besides that, stardock and MS seem to be partners regarding skinning related stuff, i dont think they'll start suing each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted March 24, 2004 Share Posted March 24, 2004 good info :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalith Posted April 4, 2004 Share Posted April 4, 2004 Thanks, i was about to start a thread "what is avalon?" hehe. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renfrew-guy Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 Avalon is designed to replace Explorer.exe and IExplore.exe as the main shell. Avalon is a CLR based desktop graphics runtime environments and is optimized to render vectors very fast (it's realtime DX rendering), so expect see lot's of this kind of stuff in LH. Writing an application to use Avalon requires the use of WinFX as this is the API as pointed out earlier in the thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGHammer Posted June 15, 2004 Share Posted June 15, 2004 Avalon is designed to replace Explorer.exe and IExplore.exe as the main shell.Avalon is a CLR based desktop graphics runtime environments and is optimized to render vectors very fast (it's realtime DX rendering), so expect see lot's of this kind of stuff in LH. Writing an application to use Avalon requires the use of WinFX as this is the API as pointed out earlier in the thread While Avalon is being touted as both an Explorer and IE replacement, IE has pretty much eaten Windows Explorer (case in point, the fact that you can *still* open Web pages with *Windows Explorer*, in addition to IE). Avalon is the closest approach to a *very* early Microsoft-demoed technology that I called *Explore Everything* back in the Windows 95 days (and it was in the leaked *Nashville* and Nashville II* builds). The difference between IE/Explorer then and Avalon today is that some funcionality (example: USENET and similar discussion groupage) is deliberately un-explorable via either Explorer or IE (and it was explorable in Nashville and Nashville II). Also, Avalon uses Direct3D and DirectDraw, while the Nashville-based Explorer/IE was entirely DirectDraw-based. *Nashville* and *Nashville II* were early MS attempts at a more object-oriented OS (not only highly OO, but very HTML-centric as well). The closest approach today to what Nashville/Nashville tried to do is, surprisingly, GNOME on Linux, Solaris, and the BSDs.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argote Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Can't wait for Avalon screens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiiiii Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 thanks for the info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolchan Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Avalon 3D in action: http://channel9.msdn.com/ Direct link to the video: http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/9...alon_3d_MBR.wmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easternBrain Posted February 1, 2005 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I think that info can also be found at microsofts own wensite.... http://msdn.microsoft.com/Longhorn/underst...on/default.aspx Check that link for a range of articles on Avalon/Aero Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liamdaly Posted February 13, 2005 Share Posted February 13, 2005 thanks for info :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hariseth Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 Superb Info :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palestinian_kid Posted March 9, 2005 Share Posted March 9, 2005 THANX FOR INFO , :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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