Microsoft Volta was just posted as a technology preview at Microsoft Live Labs. The short summary is that Volta is a new methodology for creating Web applications. Instead of deciding on your architecture at the beginning, building the tiers and tying them together, you start by building a .NET client application, then designate components to run on the server and client tiers later in the cycle, and let the tool generate the plumbing for you.
The tag line is "Web development using only the materials in the room." Why do I keep looking around for Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn?
Here's the full introduction from the Volta home page:
The Volta technology preview is a developer toolset that enables you to build multi-tier web applications by applying familiar techniques and patterns. First, design and build your application as a .NET client application, then assign the portions of the application to run on the server and the client tiers late in the development process. The compiler creates cross-browser JavaScript for the client tier, web services for the server tier, and communication, serialization, synchronization, security, and other boilerplate code to tie the tiers together.
Developers can target either web browsers or the CLR as clients and Volta handles the complexities of tier-splitting for you. Volta comprises tools such as end-to-end profiling to make architectural refactoring and optimization simple and quick. In effect, Volta offers a best-effort experience in multiple environments without any changes to the application.
Read Paul Krill's news article about Volta here, including discussions with the architects and product managers.
Posted by Martin Heller on December 5, 2007 11:13 AM
