Avalon

I was really busy during PDC and I did not find time to blog or even to keep up with email (BTW, the DeKlarit booth stuff arrived on Monday afternoon so it was ready for the Exhibit Hall reception).

I'm still in L.A., and while I'm installing Longhorn in my notebook I'll try to put in order my thoughts about this week.

If I have to pick the most important thing, it is, without any doubt, Avalon.

Avalon is really a very big bet. Windows Forms applications and 'smart clients' are really in trouble today. Most of the people is developing web applications, and Avalon is the only chance Microsoft has to keep the smart client alive. And in the long term, the smart client's fate is Windows' fate.

I really like Avalon and XAML. It feels like the right way to build client applications.

Most of the revolutions in the client were really driven by customers demands. Customers wanted to use Windows apps instead of text apps, and we developers had to build them. Users wanted web apps, and we had to build them. Users will want Avalon apps, so we'll have to give them that.