If the rumors indicated on the main page of this website MIX11 announcements for Windows Phone 7 [Rumors] are to be believed, two big wins are in store for developers and users.
First, the bundling of SQL CE on the device. While this library has apparently been on devices from the start, developers didn't have access to the API to write to it. Now, developers can leverage their development experience and provide applications with back-end databases that can reside on the device rather than in the "cloud". Other solutions did materialize in the vacuum created by Microsoft not having developer access to SQL CE, but there is nothing like being able to use an existing, working and debugged code base for an application.
The potentially bigger win is with Silverlight 4. One of the features that came with that version of Silverlight was the ability for trusted applications to read from and write to the user's MyDocuments, MyMusic, MyPictures and MyVideos folders. In the absence of unlimited access to the WP OS file system, this is the next best thing. Assuming this aspect of Silverlight 4 is enabled for the WP OS, it allows more than one application to use standard file types and in a central location on the device rather than in the "cloud". In other words, files of these types will no longer be held prison to single applications (the isolated storage associated with that app).
Hopefully, these MIX11 announcements will materialize in the form of updated tools that developers will have access to, in advance of the "Mango" release (or whenever these new features become available on user devices). These kind of rumors get me excited again about this platform.
Now if I could just figure out how to move personal computer files that reside in the MyDocuments folders directly to the device without transiting the "cloud" then I'll really be happy!
First, the bundling of SQL CE on the device. While this library has apparently been on devices from the start, developers didn't have access to the API to write to it. Now, developers can leverage their development experience and provide applications with back-end databases that can reside on the device rather than in the "cloud". Other solutions did materialize in the vacuum created by Microsoft not having developer access to SQL CE, but there is nothing like being able to use an existing, working and debugged code base for an application.
The potentially bigger win is with Silverlight 4. One of the features that came with that version of Silverlight was the ability for trusted applications to read from and write to the user's MyDocuments, MyMusic, MyPictures and MyVideos folders. In the absence of unlimited access to the WP OS file system, this is the next best thing. Assuming this aspect of Silverlight 4 is enabled for the WP OS, it allows more than one application to use standard file types and in a central location on the device rather than in the "cloud". In other words, files of these types will no longer be held prison to single applications (the isolated storage associated with that app).
Hopefully, these MIX11 announcements will materialize in the form of updated tools that developers will have access to, in advance of the "Mango" release (or whenever these new features become available on user devices). These kind of rumors get me excited again about this platform.
Now if I could just figure out how to move personal computer files that reside in the MyDocuments folders directly to the device without transiting the "cloud" then I'll really be happy!
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