Remembering the Future

XUL is based on a set of Mozilla specific foundation objects. Java applets are based on a set of Java specific foundation objects. Flash programs are based on a set of Flash specific foundation objects. SVG programs are based on a set of SVG specific foundation objects. I just don't see how XAML threatens the "standards" of the web just because it is based on its own specific set of foundation objects. Posted by Invalid Assertion

My not-to-hidden agenda here is simple - dynamic applications should be dynamic on the client. The server should send data - either through web services, database access, or any other wire protocol - and the client should consume that data and generate UI. The model of a server trying to generate the correct display for a client is just broken. -- Chris Anderson (Avalon Core Developer)

XAML is a markup language that can be used on Longhorn for many things including creating desktop apps, web pages, and printable documents. -- Rob Relyea (Avalon Program Manager, XAML "Spec Owner")

What does this mean? It means that you could use XAML as the backing format for an interactive design tool that lets you design programming logic graphically. Or maybe it lets you design complex business orchestration scenarios. Or whatever. The designs could then be serialized to XAML and then compiled into CLR assemblies. X# anyone? Posted by Invalid Assertion

Yes, you can always ship your application/framework with a runtime compiler instead of a runtime interpreter and make it all the same. The question is does it make sense to do it. Downloading JScript as a source file and then interpreting it in the browser at runtime is a monstrosity. On the other hand, compiling markup that does nothing else than specify the layout and the appearance of your UI is a monstrosity too. You should use the right tool for the job. Procedural code should always be statically compiled, and it should be possible to interpret declarative markup at runtime.

I did not get myself very familiar with the new XPathDocument class, but I think this class will allow writing XML directly into a document instead of using the DOM methods. It should be the same with XAML. Also, it should be possible to navigate the Element tree using XPath. For example: Button b = dockPanel.Item(“xpath_expression”) This, together with the DHTML style editing, would be the killer features of XAML. Posted by George Mladenov