>>>>>>hmmm....some food for thought:
>>>>>>http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/APIWar.html
>>>>>
>>>>>And if you're developing a Windows GUI app today using Microsoft's "official" latest-and-greatest Windows programming environment, WinForms, you're going to have to start over again in two years to support Longhorn and Avalon. Which explains why WinForms is completely stillborn. Hope you haven't invested too much in it.
>>>>>
>>>>>Ouch.
>>>>
>>>>This is wrong.
>>>
>>>So there's no such thing as "pure" Avalon user interfaces? The developer will still be working directly with WinForms?
>>
>>The developer can choose to only use the Avalon classes, which will be a pure Avalon interface. In fact, if you start a new project, that is what you are likely to do.
>
>Ok, so when the author says "You're going to have to start over again" (emphasis mine) he is not quite correct. However, the equivalent is that with .NET you don't have to start over because you can still run your old COM compeonents.
>
>All and all I think the author's point remains: its already old news, hope you haven't invested too much in it.

No, I disagree. First of all, Longhorn is not expected to release for another 2, maybe 3 years.

Also, when you get a new control in VFP, you do not "start over" building the interface. You simply use the new control. Similarily, you will use the new Avalon classes in your .NET app. But when you start a new app, you will start with the new controls right away.

Don't get me wrong: Avalon and Longhorn are significant jumps in methodology and paradigm (similar to the jump from DOS to Win16, or from Win16 to Win32). There is going to be a lot of rewriting, no matter what technology you come from, if you want to use the new stuff. But WinForms is the simplest migration path.

Markus