PDC 2005: Future development trends
Looking at the DesktopX road-map.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005 by Frogboy | Discussion: PDC 2005
If you want to know how software in the future is going to be created, you may want to take a close look at DesktopX. This is speaking as a developer not as an end user.
One of the themes at this week's PDC has been about giving tools to developers that allow them to split work amongst team members based on their proficiency. This is how DesktopX works today. And it means that there is a lot of room for DesktopX to grow as Vista gets closer.
Sparkle, Microsoft's new design environment for application development is vastly more rich than what DesktopX offers. We're in love with it already! And it provides us with a pathway for leveraging Sparkle to help take DesktopX to the next level.
For application developers, DesktopX allows graphics designers to create their own user interfaces visually with their own graphics using Photoshop or whatever. Then, they hand over their work as a package (.dxpack) to the developer to connect it to code. Whether that be a user interface or some visually interactive app.
Green Reaper is working on a virtual pet. Or more specifically, the coding part. Our game animators create the creature, his animations, etc. and send it over to GR as a .dxpack in which he connects it to script.
Now in the next generation DesktopX (which won't be out until Vista), .dxpacks will have XAML and C# / VB Script inside of them. DesktopX's job will be to provide additional functionality and short-cuts for creating the kinds of things that people currently use DesktopX for (gadgets, widgets, and desktops).
Sparkle, as cool as it is, is a very generalized app. But the goal is the same -- creating content that is interoperable. Our upcoming challenge will be to see if we can use VSTA to get the visual studio editor and .NET languages into DesktopX.
Reply #2 Thursday, September 15, 2005 11:50 PM
| "Green Reaper is working on a virtual pet. Or more specifically, the coding part." |
CRAP. I knew I should have been wearing my tin foil hat. You skinners and your damned mind probes. Well, mine was an undead pet, anyway...
Sounds interesting. INterested to see how it all works out.
Please login to comment and/or vote for this skin.
Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
- Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums and downloading skins.
- Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
- Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
- It's simple, and FREE!
Reply #1 Thursday, September 15, 2005 11:10 PM