Microsoft has developed one of the key resources it has been providing so far for Windows 7. Accompanying the release of Windows 7 pre-Beta Build 6801 Milestone 3 at the Professional Developers Conference 2008 at the end of October in Los Angeles is the Windows 7 Developer Guide. At the start of December 2008, the Redmond company began offering version 1.2 of the Windows 7 Developer Guide, which brings an edited Media Platform section. In this regard, in version 1.1, Microsoft delivered descriptions to the areas dealing with the Windows Biometric Framework (WBF) and Direct3D 10.1 Command Remoting.

“The Windows Biometric Framework (WBF) provides an API which enables applications to use fingerprint devices to enroll, identify, and verify user identities without gaining direct access to any biometric fingerprint hardware or samples. You can use WBF with fingerprint devices that have Windows Biometric Device Interface (WBDI) drivers. WBF is extensible through plug-in adapters that manage sensor communications, biometric matching, and template storage,” Microsoft revealed.

Since the advent of Windows 7 pre-Beta Built 6801 at PDC 2008, Microsoft has moved onward onto the development of the first Beta of the operating system. Still, Build 6801, which, after the official release at the end of October, leaked and is now available for download via torrent websites, remains the Windows 7 version Microsoft points to as the taste of the platform designed to permit developers to start tailoring their applications to the next version of the Windows client. Of course, this just for the time being, as Windows 7 Beta will be delivered in early 2009.

“Direct3D 10.1 Command Remoting enables new Direct3D 10.1 (and Direct2D) applications the choice of optimizing for better remote display experience by using Direct3D 10.1 API commands. Remoted applications using Direct3D 10.1 Command Remoting can take advantage of the rich remote client graphics hardware, while the server need not have any graphics hardware requirements. Direct3D 10.1 applications opt into Direct3D 10.1 Command Remoting through updated DXGI 1.1 APIs. Direct2D applications use command remoting by default, if it is available,” the company added in the Windows 7 Developer Guide.