What’s Next for .NET Developers

1. Windows 8 Windows Runtime Metro .NET 4.5 C# 5 Visual Studio 11 What’s Next for .NET Developers An introduction to Ivan Towlson, Mindscape

2. Windows Evolution XP NT 4 Unified enterprise and consumer platforms NT 95 32-bit Virtual memory Pre-emptive multitasking Explorer shell (Start) 3.0 386 mode Graphical shell 1.0 Real mode Rudimentary shell

3. Windows Today • Dominant operating system on traditional PCs • User experience tailored to keyboard-mouse-monitor setup • Technology largely tied to x86/x64, boot from disk • Fundamentals of user experience largely unchanged since Windows 95

4. Market Challenges • Shifting away from traditional PCs towards consumer devices • Smartphones • ‘Fondleslab’ tablets • Media devices (audio/video, portable/home entertainment) • Game consoles • Microsoft needs to compete in these markets

5. Design Challenges – Traditional Desktop • Users need to be able to manage: • Very large number of installed applications • Lots of notifications (e.g. social media) – don’t want to have to keep opening lots of applications to check or catch up on different things • Sharing silo-ed data (in apps and services) • Most of ‘My Pictures’ may be on Facebook! • Application distribution

6. Design Challenges – Devices • Start menu is fiddly to navigate with touch • Window management is fiddly, and in most cases is useless overhead • Battery life needs to be better • Boot time needs to be near instant • Buying an app needs to be low friction • Keep multiple devices (including a PC) in sync • It needs to look awesome (and harmonious)

7. Introducing Windows 8 • A new shell • A new set of UI standards • A new application model • A new set of APIs • Rich visual design • Asynchrony everywhere • Multiple language support • ARM support and diskless boot support • A new set of cloud services

8. Introducing Visual Studio 11 • Compiler support for Windows Runtime • Designer support for Metro • Language changes for C#, F# and Visual Basic • C# and VB: async • F#: type providers

9. Introducing the Windows 8 Drinking Game • “Fast and fluid” – CHUG • “Re-imagining” – DOWN IN ONE DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME AT TECHED IT WILL KILL YOU

10. Windows Runtime • A common runtime for Windows applications providing a safe, object-oriented API to a variety of services, accessible from multiple languages • Cripes! That sounds familiar!

11. WinRT Architecture • Internally based on COM, but looks like .NET • Sandboxed • Language ‘projections’ • Component-based • Metadata format (.winmd) is very similar to .NET • Can also be used from native code (C++) • Windows 8 only

12. Diagram credit: Doug Seven

13. WinRT Class Library • Mostly a subset of the .NET basic profile • Not the full profile! • Roughly comparable to Silverlight (plus classes for Win8 and local machine features) • C#/VB still target 4.5 CLR, but compiler restricts you to APIs in the Metro profile (a la Client Profile) • Some .NET features unavailable or moved • Language projections take care of some changes • Many things now in Windows.* namespaces

14. WinRT Class Library • Potentially long-running APIs (e.g. file, network) are only available in async form • E.g. no HttpClient.Get, only HttpClient.BeginGet • C# and VB await keyword works with WinRTIAsyncOperation as well as CLR tasks

16. WinRT Application Model • XAML-based user interface • Very similar to Silverlight • Styles and templates • Data binding

17. WinRT Application Model • Capabilities specified in manifest • Services the application wants to consume • E.g. location, camera • Declarations specified in manifest • Services the application offers • E.g. file type association, search provider • Contracts which applications can consume or implement (e.g. search, share, picker)

18. WinRT Application Model • OS suspends application when not active • Notifications via live tile • Non-Metro apps run on Desktop as before • The desktop is effectively just a (special) app!

19. .NET 4.5 • Updates to the .NET 4.0 CLR • Not side-by-side • Windows 8 support • Framework does not require Windows 8 though • New versions of C#, VB and F# • Many enhancements to high-level libraries • ASP.NET, WPF, WCF, WF, MEF, ADO.NET

20. http://www.heikniemi.net/hardcoded/2011/10/whats-new-in-net-framework-4-5-poster/http://www.heikniemi.net/hardcoded/2011/10/whats-new-in-net-framework-4-5-poster/

21. .NET 4.5 Class Library – Selected Highlights • BCL: async APIs using Task objects • ASP.NET: HTML5 forms, model binders in Web Forms, minification, AntiXSS, lots more! • ADO.NET: Entity Framework enhancements • WPF: ribbon control, asyncvalidation, multithreaded collection updates, perf! • WCF: Web Sockets, simplification! • WF: state machines, C# expressions, versioning enhancements, designer

22. Languages • C# 5 • Visual Basic… er… lost count… 11? • Visual C++ 11 • F# 3

23. C# and Visual Basic Async • Long running operations present a dilemma • Synchronous: • Pro: Clear top-to-bottom program flow • Con: Locks up UI (and blocks other operations) • Asynchronous: • Pro: Fast and fluid (CHUG!) • Con: Splits program flow, especially if you have a sequence of async operations • Solution: use F#

24. C# and Visual Basic Async • async method modifier means method might not complete synchronously • Within an async method, use await keyword to call an asynchronous method and wait for its completion without blocking • In an async method, you can write your code in a top-to-bottom way and the compiler will transform it into ‘callback style’

25. F# 3.0 • We doan’ need no steenkin’ async • Because we’ve had that stuff and more for ages • Wake me up when C# has async agents • LINQ operators • Okay, I admit it, that one, C# got there first • Type providers

26. Visual C++ 11 • C++/CLI-like syntax that compiles to native (COM) code targeting WinRT • WinRT constructs like lists mapped to C++ STL • Lots of other C++1x goodness including lambdas which is outside the scope of this talk – see Herb Sutter’s Build sessions for details

27. Building Great Metro-Style Applications • Metro style design • Fast and fluid (CHUG!) • Snap and scale beautifully • Use the right Contracts • Invest in a great Tile • Feel connected and alive • Roam to the cloud • Embrace Metro principles

28. Metro Style Design • The silhouette of a Metro style app • Standard layouts, type sizes, etc. (as in VS templates) – harmonious across applications • Content before chrome • The edge • Comfort and touch – how people hold devices

29. Metro Style Design – Silhouette

30. Metro Style Design – Silhouette

31. Metro Style Design – Content Before Chrome

32. Metro Style Design – Content Before Chrome

33. Metro Style Design – The Edge • Left and right edges are for system UI • Top and bottom edges are for application UI

34. Metro Style Design – Comfort and Touch

35. Building Great Metro-Style Applications • Metro style design • Fast and fluid • Snap and scale beautifully • Use the right Contracts • Invest in a great Tile • Feel connected and alive • Roam to the cloud • Embrace Metro principles

36. Live Tiles • Windows.UI.Notifications defines the available tile templates • E.g. plain text, text above picture, etc. • Live tiles can show application data while application is not running • E.g. unread message count, stock ticker • Your back end service sends notifications to Windows Push Notification Service (WNS) • WNS notifies the Windows 8 client

37. Building Great Metro-Style Applications • Metro style design • Fast and fluid • Snap and scale beautifully • Use the right Contracts • Invest in a great Tile • Feel connected and alive • Roam to the cloud • Embrace Metro principles

38. Learn More • Watch the videos from the Build conference • Jensen Harris (Big Picture) • Chris Sells (Big Picture) • Anders Hejlsberg (C#/VB) • Follow the ‘Building Windows 8’ blog • http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/ • Download the developer preview • Install to VHD – Hanselman has instructions • VS11 preview for non-Metro will install on Win7

39. Thanks! • Windows 8 • http://www.buildwindows.com/ • http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/ • Me • http://hestia.typepad.com/flatlander/ • http://www.mindscapehq.com/ • ivan@hestia.cc • ivan@mindscape.co.nz