Avalon (WPF)

My New WPF blog and site

Walt Ritscher — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 23:55:00 GMT

2007 is going to the year of WPF for me. I've got a lot of projects pending, I'll tell you more about them as I get the details worked out. But I can tell you this....

I started a new blog at wpfwonderland.wordpress.com that's dedicated to WPF topics. I'll have a companion website up and running sometime this month too.(www.wpfwonderland.com )

Please check it out. I'm really excited about WPF. Can't wait to talk to you about all the cool bits.

Walt

What is WPFe anyway?

Walt Ritscher — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:02:00 GMT

WPF shipped last week as a part of .NET 3.0. I'm really excited about WPF as I think it is a much needed upgrade in Microsoft graphics programming tools. GDI is not going to disappear overnight of course and DirectX is still viable for many companies needs.

There is another version of WPF coming soon. It's called Windows Presentation Foundation everywhere, or WPFe, and it's suffering from an inferiority complex when compared with its older sibling.

What is WPFe?

WPFe is a subset of the WPF functionality. It runs via a browser plug-in and is targeted to work with Linux, Mac and Windows browsers. It does nearly everything the WPF does with the exception of 3D and advance page layout and pagination.

Supported systems

Windows XP, 2000, 2003 and Vista
Mac OSX
Linux
Solaris

Supported Browsers

IE 5-7
Safari
Firefox

Seattle Code Camp 2006 (October 28,29)

Walt Ritscher — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:35:00 GMT

It's only three weeks away and coming to Seattle. That's right, the Seattle Code camp is looking for camp counselors (speakers). If you want to talk tech to a room full of eager participants this is the event you've been waiting for.

Last year we had over 50 presenters and 250+ attendees.

http://seattle.techevents.info/codecamp/2/default.aspx

VSLive 2006 Toronto Code is online

Walt Ritscher — Tue, 02 May 2006 01:15:00 GMT

I finally finished the zips of my talks from VSLive Toronto.

http://www.waltritscher.com/Default.aspx?tabid=55

Enjoy

Toronto VSLive 2006 - Talk #3 - Avalon - Vector Graphics Come Alive

Walt Ritscher — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:33:00 GMT

Alright, I love giving this talk. I've always liked graphics programming, wrote my first animation piece on an Apple II. Avalon, now with BORING and DRAB name Windows Presentation Framework (WPF), is very cool. The places where Avalon touches your UI is everywhere.

Abstract

The next version of Windows (Windows Vista) will include a completely new graphics engine. This engine, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), will change the way you think about user interfaces. WPF (formerly called Avalon), soon to be retro-fitted onto Windows XP and Windows 2003, is a major shift in Windows graphics platform. Built, in part, on a new vector API, WPF blends traditional two-dimensional and three-dimensional systems, transparencies, animation, integrated multi-media and more in a single unified managed code model. Join me to see how WPF is controlled through XAML (Extensible Application Markup Language) or via code. See how incredibly easy it is to create three-dimensional applications (including controlling lights, camera and sprites). Examine the significant advances in color, printing, remoting, and audio processing that are included. Immense changes are coming. Be among the first to see what the WPF engine can do.

What it's about.

Graphics. Plain, complex, 3D and 2D. Every kind of graphic programming you can think of.

Heading for Toronto VSLive

Walt Ritscher — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 00:57:00 GMT

Next week I will be in Canada, more precisely I'll be in Toronto. I'm going to be talking at the VSLive conference there. This is my second trip to the city. Last year, I was there and spent a a day hanging out with Jeremy Wright. Another night I wandered about the city with a group of speakers from the conference. Scott Allen documented the evening walk and has the pictures here. I had a great time and am looking forward to my second time in the city.

I have four talks this time. I'll be very busy during the three days I suspect. What am I talking about this time? Glad you asked.

Async Triple Threat — ASP.NET 2.0 Async APIs, Atlas and AJAX
Smart Data Clients 2.0
Avalon: Vector Graphics Come Alive
Advanced Custom Windows Forms Controls

http://www.ftponline.com/conferences/vslive/2006/toronto/asp-sessions.aspx

http://www.ftponline.com/conferences/vslive/2006/toronto/smart-sessions.aspx

Real Avalon Apps - iBloks

Walt Ritscher — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:59:00 GMT

I'm really liking the new Avalon (Windows Presentation Foundation) layer in Windows Vista and WinFX. I've been working with it for the last six months and have developed a couple talks that I give about the technology. It's going to change the face, no kidding, of Windows development over the next five years. Imagine a tool that lets you easily mix 2D, 3D, Rich Text, Video, Multimedia and more into a single API.

I tell people about how cool its going to be, but it's not easy to visualize. If you don't have the Avalon beta bits on your computer you can't run any of the demos. So a lot of people think it just going to be eye candy and some transparent windows. So watch a video and decide for yourself.

iBloks is a new game/toy application built with Avalon. You can animate pictures, mix sound and more. Watch the video here.