1. HTML5 and JS become another presentation layer for .NET apps.
Anyone else fails to see the benefit of this in terms of architecture quality? The claim is that anyone who knows HTML and JS will be able to develop UI. But the reality is that it will probably be very different from developing web UIs, with it's own APIs, gotchas and hacks you need to know.
Nevertheless it's an enormous step toward unifying desktop apps and web apps. I'm actually shocked that MS would do this. It seems like the first bold, intelligent move they've made in years, assuming they actually have it in them (I'm still skeptical, but perhaps Sinofsky has squared the circle). At a minimum it should commit MS to making HTML5+JS run super fast in IE, which is a huge deal in itself.
Nevertheless it's an enormous step toward unifying desktop apps and web apps.
Is this a good goal, though?
Web used to follow a certain model that worked well and allowed people to develop websites easily. It grew. Then people wanted a more desktop-like experience. This resulted in development of new APIs and extensive use of JavaScript. We're moving farther and farther away from the original model. And now MS is going to reverse the gears, and use web-based tools for desktop development.
Problem is, developing a web application right now it not much simpler than developing a desktop app. Sure, you get the benefits of no deployment, and instant updates, but this will not apply to "desktop" application in HTML anyway.
There are already client-side MVC frameworks in place---sproutcore, backbone, ... Of course Microsoft will try to put "architecture quality" into their framework. Let's just hope we dont see Javascript Desktop Pages like WebForms.
I applaud MS for looking towards the future instead of the tired technologies of today's desktop. I won't knock it until the they have some code samples up.
Anyone else fails to see the benefit of this in terms of architecture quality? The claim is that anyone who knows HTML and JS will be able to develop UI. But the reality is that it will probably be very different from developing web UIs, with it's own APIs, gotchas and hacks you need to know.