So, VS2010 screenshots came out and its UI was revamped to use WPF.
I understand the WPF thing. HTML is somehow limited for some experiences, and XAML is the markup language for real Rich Applications. It runs somehow limited in the browser via Silverlight, but has full power in the Desktop.
I am not sure about MS intention to make WPF the default UI system. I really digg Winforms, even if it’s old. It’s simple and it works! In every MS Office release, they have introduced new toolbar and menu styles and I’ve always liked the plain winforms approach. Now they are trying to be innovative with the ribbon that’s system-wide in 7. Although the layout approach may be more suitable in some applications, the design it’s not simple.
The 3D appearance of the ribbon and the WPF controls in VS2010 adds to much noise to the interface. Apple has just one simple toolbar, that makes application work in a simple way. Context stuff goes into sidebars or the inspector, and there aren’t any applications that try to go round this simple layout. Ok, there’s Office for the Mac, but those guys are a bit weird.
I loved the Winforms Visual Studio style. It was the prettiest IDE around. Not it looks like some colored version of Eclipse RCP. And I bet it takes more time to load on regular pcs.