14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft announced that it is evolving its Acropolis project, a move that will impact the building process of modular Windows client applications via the product. Microsoft codename Acropolis is designed as a suite of components and tools set up to permit developers to create modular Windows client products addressed at the business environment, offering at the same time management capabilities and leveraging the .NET Framework. In this sense, Acropolis fits as a piece of the Software plus services business model puzzle of the Redmond company. And while Microsoft has made so far available a few Community Technology Previews of Acropolis, this practice will be disallowed now that the project advances to its next stage of growth.
"We are very excited to be entering the next phase of the project where we will begin to roll many of the Acropolis concepts into future versions of the .NET Framework for the desktop and Silverlight. Unfortunately, while we figure out exactly how to go about this, we have decided not to release any more Acropolis CTP's. We're going to keep the current CTP bits available to allow you to continue prototyping and evaluating the Acropolis concepts," revealed Kathy Kam, Acropolis Program Manager.
The latest CTP of Acropolis was launched in August and is available for download right here on Softpedia. Acropolis essentially enables developers to build Windows Presentation Foundation applications by integrating re-usable parts and services. However, the set of components and tools not only permits the focus to fall on application business logic, but also supports the implementation of layout, navigation and transitions patterns that take advantage of the best WPF has to offer.
"We are going to be working closely with the Microsoft Patterns & Practices team to provide guidance (samples, applications blocks, patterns and so on) for building composite client applications for .NET Framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008. As part of that effort we want to engage with those that have been following the Acropolis project to ensure that this guidance meets your needs", Kam added.