15Seconds interviewed Ed Kaim, product manager on the Developer and Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft, about how Microsoft's upcoming Longhorn platform and next versions of Visual Studio will change the role of the developer.
15Seconds:
One of the values developers bring to a company is their knowledge of programming languages and ability to use them efficiently. Regarding future versions of Visual Studio, Bill Gates recently said, "it lets people design and analyze processes visually instead of using code." It seems upcoming versions of Visual Studio provide a lot of pre-built code so developers can focus on the problem solving aspects of development. How important will language be to developers?
Ed Kaim:
Visual Studio is intended to make developers as productive as possible. One of the key ways to do this is to minimize the amount of code they have to write themselves. Support for minimizing the development of new code is provided through several mechanisms:
- Design tools that automatically generate code (such as with user interface designers, Web service importers, data designers)
- Code editor features that provide the ability to inject snippets for common scenarios, such as a button event handler or the code for opening a file
- Starter kits (such as IBuySpy and TaskVision) that provide complete applications with source code that developers can use as a baseline for customization and new development
While these features are great for minimizing the code written, they are intended to remove the boilerplate code that is continually rewritten across apps in the past. There will still be the need for programming languages for the heavy lifting of business logic. 15:
Traditionally Microsoft technology developers have chosen careers that follow one of two paths: Windows and Web. It seems, however, these paths are converging. What new and different career paths will open for Microsoft technology developers in the Longhorn/Indigo era? How will the role of the developer change?
EK:
These two technology paths will continue to exist and evolve as they have over the past few years. The most significant change to happen will be in the decision making process where a developer chooses between Windows and the Web. Traditionally, developers have moved to the Web due to perceived shortcomings in the Windows developer platform, such as the deployment infrastructure. Since the release of the .NET Framework, many of these shortcomings have been addressed with modern functionality that meets current needs, which Longhorn will build upon.
15:
Smart-client applications are a new way to present data over the Internet. What do these technologies offer over Web browsers? Will these technologies sooner or later replace the Web browser and Web page? How should developers view and use the Web browser and Web page in the Longhorn era?
EK:
Smart client applications generally have three major strengths over Web applications:
- They can run offline (execute with or without an Internet connection)
- They can have a more immersive user interface
- They can integrate with assets on the client (such as hardware and software)
The browser, on the other hand, is really intended to provide a cross-platform way of presenting a server-based program. In the past, developers have moved to the browser due to shortcomings in the smart client, but recent developments have addressed these in such a way that the smart client is an option where it hasn't been in the past. Standards such as Web services have provided a way for companies to integrate client apps with any type of network infrastructure, removing that barrier. Improved deployment support has eliminated the challenges client developers faced in the past, and that story will get even better in Longhorn. As for the browser in Longhorn, it will continue to provide an interface to server-based applications. Developers building Web applications will find that the ability to span multiple operating systems to be the biggest strength of the browser model, whereas the client will be best delivered via fully Longhorn-enabled applications or Windows Forms (for cross-Windows clients). 15:
What scenarios will be ideal for server-based applications and in what scenarios will smart clients be the best fit?
EK:
The decision between client and server applications today is often made based on the capabilities (or challenges) of each. In the past, developers chose the server for development due to challenges, such as client application deployment. Today, the improvements Microsoft has delivered with Windows Forms and the .NET Framework have begun to swing the momentum where developers are able to make the application model decision based on the strengths of each, such as the client's ability to provide the most flexible, interactive UI, whereas the browser is well designed for document-based applications. In Longhorn, client applications will have an even better value proposition for developers: not only will technologies like ClickOnce (first available in .NET Framework 2.0) provide great deployment and maintenance support, but Avalon will provide a great environment for document or forms-based applications that integrate UI, graphics, and media; WinFS will provide improved data synchronization support (for occasionally connected scenarios); and Indigo will offer the best way to connect applications with other applications, whether on the same machine, a peer machine, or remote server. Browser applications will still have a big strength over client applications in that they providebreadth support to reach across virtually any platform. However, the decision to use the browser won't be based on the shortcomings of the client platform anymore.
15:
Longhorn contains a new markup language, called XAML, which has been described as a kind of ASP.NET for Windows and smart client applications. Is this an accurate assessment of XAML?
EK:
XAML is very much like ASP.NET for the client. It provides a great way to separate business logic from user interface, which results in cleaner implementation and the ability for designers to work side-by-side with developers without file conflicts. Most developers will never need to interact with XAML directly due to the use of UI design tools.
15:
It seems Longhorn provides the means for true peer-to-peer. What benefits, if any, will peer-to-peer networking offer developers?
EK:
Peer-to-peer networks provide a major component of the collaboration platform in Longhorn. Collaboration is one of the key advancements in Longhorn, specifically around the support for developers building applications that provide collaborative integration with other apps. While building p2p systems is possible today, it requires a significant amount of developer effort, resulting in a cost tradeoff that often isn't worth it. However, in Longhorn, building collaboration into these systems will be much easier to do based on all of the p2p networking support that is provided as part of the developer platform.
15:
What should developers add to their skill set to prepare themselves for Longhorn?
EK:
The most important thing developers can do to prepare for Longhorn is to get on managed code with the .NET Framework. Experience with the development concepts and features of the .NET Framework will give developers a head start on Longhorn.
15:
How should developers think about building or architecting their applications today so they are ready for tomorrow's technologies?
EK:
There are two main things:
- Get on the .NET Framework
- Design with a service-oriented architecture in mind
15:
How do you see the structure of IT departments in 5 to 10 years? What should IT managers focus on when interviewing and evaluating candidates for Longhorn development positions?
EK:
Developers building applications for Longhorn will require many of the same skills required for applications on past versions of Windows, such as problem solving and programming capabilities. In fact, given the advancements made with Visual Studio and the WinFX APIs, developers will spend less time focusing on technical implementation details, resulting in more time to spend on architecture and design.
15:
What new Microsoft certifications are planned for Longhorn development technologies or what will be added to existing certifications for Longhorn development?
EK:
Although no decision has been made, developers can expect the certifications for Longhorn will follow similar conventions used for past versions of Windows.
