Chapter 1. The road to Avalon (WPF)

This chapter covers:

  • A brief history of Windows drawing
  • A briefer history of web UI design
  • The underlying theory and purpose of WPF
  • Some slightly intemperate comments about Microsoft’s marketing department

When the development team at Microsoft started to work on their brand-new framework for developing user interfaces, they used the code name Avalon. Avalon, in British mythology, is the island where King Arthur was taken under the care of the Lady of the Lake—until the time when he will return. The name conjures up images of user interfaces with glimmering water and misty backgrounds.

The marketing department at Microsoft, whose job it is to make technology appealing to the masses, decided that a better, ...

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