Chuck provides the most lucid description of XAML that I've seen so far ( Part I , Part II ).

I've finally got round to updating my list of bloggers at Microsoft who focus on Windows Presentation Foundation. This list includes those on the Avalon core team, as well as a number of individuals from the Expression "Sparkle" team, the SDK team and...

Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon") applications have two modes of execution: standalone applications and in-browser applications. The former model is I think well-understood, but the browser-based capabilities of Avalon are new to some people...

A week or so ago, I posted an updated product key for the Windows Vista builds we distributed at the PDC . We've been keeping a close eye on attendee feedback to make sure we've mopped up any problems people have experienced whilst installing Windows...

...just popped up in Microsoft Update. Make sure you take advantage of Microsoft Update to get Office 2003 and SQL Server updates delivered using the same mechanism as Windows Update - if you're still using Windows Update, check the starting page for...

I asked a couple of days ago if anyone had a recommendation for a good photo sharing site that offered lots of storage, multiple-sized images, keywords, privacy and online ordering, and I'd like to thank the many of you who replied either by posting comments...

I see that there's a new release of Paint.NET available (2.5α3). OK, so the name may be the most uninspiring since Windows Presentation Foundation (!) but this application is becoming more impressive with every release. Paint.NET is a comprehensive image...

Over the last few months, I've been developing my interest in photography, in particular as a result of acquiring a new digital SLR camera earlier this year (a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT - it's a great camera, incidentally). Despite my best efforts at...

MSN Virtual Earth has been around for a couple of months now. In the unlikely event that anyone has missed this, it provides a great mapping engine for satellite and roadmap style views. The bit I care about as a developer though is that we've really...

One of the most exciting features that we slipped back into Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon") with the PDC release is Loose XAML. Loose XAML was cut back in March of this year, and its loss was greatly lamented (well, I'm exaggerating a bit,...

I recently answered a question something like the one above for an Australian developer mailing list, but I know this question isn't unique to Australian developers, so I figured I'd post my take here for a broader audience. Hopefully this is interesting...

Just realized to my horror that Community Server has been "moderating" a ton of comments that people have made to various PDC-related topics. I've published the comments, and will work through answering them within the next 24 hours. If you think I've...

After the PDC, I've had a renewed flood of email queries from people who want to know how to spread the word about Avalon internally within the organization. Here's a very short list of resources I've compiled that you might want to use as a starting...

Some people have experienced difficulties with activating the Windows Vista builds that we distributed at the PDC. Please accept our apologies for this; there's been a mismatch between the activation servers and the product key that was handed out. It...

This is my attempt to wrap up some of the most commonly-asked questions about the conference - hope this is helpful to you! Q. Where can I find the conference presentations? A. On the CommNet attendee website , which is open to both attendees and the...

If you're upgrading to the latest version of Avalon (I really should start to call it Windows Presentation Foundation, I know, but I want to make sure that search engines find blog entries like this for both the codename and the final technology name...

This might seem like a perverse question to ask - isn't there only one Beta 2? But keen eyes have already spotted that the WinFX Runtime Components Sept CTP release contains a later version of the CLR than was distributed with the original Beta 2. Here...

Metro is the codename for the Open Packaging Conventions (a ZIP-based container convention for file format packaging) and the XML Paper Specification (a fixed format document specification based on XAML). Feng Yuan, one of the technical leads in the team...

I've been collating a few notes on installing the PDC05 "The Goods" discs that were distributed to attendees. Hopefully these tips will help get you started. I'll be updating this list based on reader comments or as new issues are discovered. [UPDATE...

We've published our full plans for the Expression product suite: Sparkle is no longer just a rumor... http://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/en/default.aspx

Another site highlighted during Jim's keynote is Microsoft Gadgets . This new blog explains how to build gadgets to run within start.com (a new Microsoft portal), on the Windows Sidebar, or as part of the Windows Sideshow (the auxilliary displays that...

If you're unconvinced that Windows Presentation Foundation is more than just a glitzy UI, you should take a look at Microsoft Codename Max. We announced this during Jim Allchin's PDC keynote, and it's a fantastic photo sharing application built entirely...

I've been working on a detailed technical overview of Windows Presentation Foundation for the last few weeks, and it's gone live today to coincide with PDC Day 1. You can find it here ...

A few weeks ago, I started to build what will hopefully grow into a larger library of screencasts covering Windows Presentation Foundation ("Avalon"). The first two have just been posted on Channel 9 . Screencasts are short pre-recorded videos that...