Scoop: Microsoft Expression Suite To Run On Apple Computers!

Have just returned from tech.ed (Australia) with an awesome scoop to share. Discovering this fact was one of those slow motion moments when the hero gets shot -- so obvious yet so far-reaching.

The Expression Suite of tools were designed to be run on apple from the very first moment. The ramifications of this are bigger than big.

The information was extracted from various MS people, occasionally using Veritaserum (read 'alcohol') where needed. (Note also that many MS people I spoke to knew nothing about this, and had not even heard of the rumour)

There is currently a 'super secret' project underway at Microsoft, to put together the underlying cross-platform framework necessary to enable the Expression suite of products to run on Apple Computers. Seamlessly, natively, super fast, beautifully.

This is a huge 'tell' in terms of microsoft's future direction and strategy as a company.

I see it as Microsoft accepting, at the highest levels, that they've lost the API-war -- and hence aiming to redefine the battle ground for where the future profit centres for their software company will be. They're looking beyond operating systems, and clinging to the source of all their successes to date: a strong developer focus.

But Wait? Aren't Operating Systems Great?

Hello 1995? This is 2007 calling -- we want to show you Windows Vista. OS's are too expensive to build, too hard to deploy, far too hard to update, and impossible to secure.

If developers on every platform, every medium, in every language and every device -- be it apple, windows or linux -- be it desktop, server, or web -- be it ruby, python, angle brackets (Html/XML/Ria), squiggly brackets(C/Java/C# family), or begins and ends (VB) -- if all developers and all designers are using microsoft tools to build their software, then microsoft can branch out, moving beyond OS development and ensuring they are the dominant force in tomorrow's software as well as today's.

Eat that google, apple, ibm, java, etc.

This is big thinking, strategic stuff.

Disclaimer -- I don't want to get anyone in trouble. Everyone who spoke to me did so under a veil of 'plausible deniability'. I ensured them that no one would believe me, so they were free to speak their mind. Ssad, but true, and like a typical, terrible, journaliste I agreed not to unveil my sources. Don't ask. Note also that Visual Studio won't run on Apple computers, just Expression Blend et al. We're happy to accept xaml from the black skivvy wearing apple using auteurs... but code? no thank you... For now... (You don't want to know what's coming after 'Rosario'... hint: who's for a Browser-Based IDE?)

Your article seems to be missing a significant point. At least Blend and Design (maybe others, I've only used these) run atop .NET/WPF

Maybe I'm missing the scoop here but MS's own website proudly proclaims Mac compatibility in the system requirements: http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/SysReq.aspx?key=studio

the mac systerm requirements only ask for 20mb, so it's probably just the Silverlight™ plugin.

@Douglas:
>Blend and Design... run atop .NET/WPF

true -- but they use a minimal portion of the .net framework.

only the parts they actually use would need to be ported. Notably, there's no need for:

* windows forms
* ADO.net
* network integration
* code dom
and more.

So WPF and the portions that support it are the major part needed. And if they've been recently built with this target in mind, then the task should be achievable.

lb

From the system req. for windows it says Quiktime so the only thing in wich microsoft is accepting defeat is the use of Quiktime nothing else.

Like all MS apps, they suck big time. Only MS would come up with a plugin for Studio which is dedicated to changing text case.

Sales prediction - only to windows users and maybe some switchers as far as Apple goes - Linix users maybe - doubt it though.

chris -- you very nearly meet the criteria for speedy deletion of a flamebait comment.
i welcome your feedback, but i ask you to give a little more justification to your position in future.

This is no way a scoop. I have an email from Microsoft dated March 07 offering me a Mac sidegrade to Expression Media from iView Media that they had just purchased. They then offered me a free sidegrade to move away from iView media in June. It is a typical move from Microsoft. Buy the opposition - asset strip it and then kill it off. That said - isn't that what the corporate world is all about?

"Hello 1995? This is 2007 calling -- we want to show you Windows Vista. OS's are too expensive to build, too hard to deploy, far too hard to update, and impossible to secure."

Uhm, you did mean to write 'Windows' not 'OS' in the second sentance right? Because as far as reality goes those negative statements are not valid for any other available operating system than Windows.

Who Cares. It will die a lonely death on the Mac. Chris is right on the money. Not flame bait fact.

David Baugh wrote:
"This is no way a scoop. I have an email from Microsoft dated March 07 offering me a Mac sidegrade to Expression Media from iView Media that they had just purchased."

That doesn't mean anything. iView was always a Mac program and no porting is needed. This article is about the _entire_ suite, and the other products in the suite currently do not list the Mac under their System Requirements. That's why it would be news.

It would also be news if anyone cared about this suite.

"a little more justification to your position in future"

Sorry about the lack of depth but I was doing other things at the time.

I went to the MS site and watched their videos and read the faqs etc - none of that holds a candle to Adobe's Suite new or old - granted $100 is cheaper but the results look weak to me. I'll stick to Illustrator, Indesign, Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Heck, Freeway might even be better than MS' web app.

Where's the surprise? Expression was acquired from a small developer, and versions 1-3 ran under both Macs and Windows. The technology may have been morphed and restructured and integrated with iView (also cross platform), but they would have had to consciously kill some of the code. See - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creature_House_Expression

@Chris -- thanks for response.

>It will die a lonely death on the Mac

I think the idea is that expression would be a gateway drug to get mac designers to help build microsoft applications.

or maybe expression would be a gateway drug to get microsoft developers to move across to the apple world.

double edged sword this one.

>those negative statements
>are not valid for any other
>available operating system

Apple don't tend to send out new versions of the operating system too often -- and they have the massive luxury of not worrying about backward compatability or a broad range of hardware.

Linux doesn't need to worry about normal people and restricts itself to the most technical users, shifting the burden of update and patching onto them.

client side software is hard. OS's are the worst case of all (apart from embedded systems... maybe)

None of the applications mentioned on http://www.microsoft.com/expression/products/SysReq.aspx?key=studio actually run on Macs except for some of the Silverlight related products and they have been available for a few months at least - so I don't think that means the Expression Studio will ever be available for Macs ... but who knows.

Mac fanbois will just use parallels is they have to use expression suite so MS is wasting time if they port these to run natively on mac.

Not to pick on lb, but using a comment from his above post to illustrate the fact that we may be missing the point...

Making the dev toolkits for certain platforms or app frameworks (Silverlight/Flash) run on multiple OS, we do open up the chance for more developers to be turned on to the platform, for sure; however, it is not all about the 'developers' point of view (although it is for me sometimes :) I am an architect/developer and I predominantly use MS and web technologies, currently).

From lb:
>>I think the idea is that expression would be a gateway drug to get mac designers to help build microsoft applications.

or maybe expression would be a gateway drug to get microsoft developers to move across to the apple world.

double edged sword this one.
<<

With the advent/use of technologies like Silverlight, Flash and actionscript, etc. We are able to take the 'Microsoft' and 'Mac' out of the equation for the end-user.

We can focus on creating great software that will work for anyone on any platform that goes well beyond the traditional web-based approach for this concept.

We can let the user pick what OS they are comfortable with and still deliver rich, client-based apps that are maintain some consistency across the OS they run on. That is what it is really all about. Getting the user to use the software and removing some of the barriers (although the simple MS vs. Apple stigma IS hard to break through). This is opposed to current web-based practices of having to build custom user interfaces for each platform (browser), even on the SAME OS!!! Closer to a build once/run-anywhere model.

To get true cross-platform operation currently (not including virtualization which wouldn't technically be cross-OS or cross-platform) we have to jump through hoops, and (for web-based software) develop/maintain 3-4 times a much code(just for 2 OS X 3 browser types each, if you choose to forget about the multiple versions of each of those) that can potentially become obsolete with every browser release.

These rich, smart-client type applications may be more easily adapted to working 'disconnected' when necessary (for data intensive apps, of course... this is a HUGE plus in some instances/environments).

Although we would ideally be connected ALL the time, and we can defintely see how 24-7 connection is possible and might be accomplished in the future we should remember that users cannot always remain 'connected' at all times (due to location requirements, hardware issues, security concerns at a client company, etc). This may include connection to a crucial business application's 'common' datastores. If we architect our applications accordingly, we could switch out connected datastores for local data islands (in XML, encrypted plain txt, even a proprietary format, or just a plain ol .txt for that matter). Although our application might work in a reduced mode it never goes 'out-of-service'.

Anyway... sorry for the length. I just wanted to point out that it is better for the software-end users, regardless of who develops it (Adobe or Microsoft or ???). I would also add that I would much rather see a company backing it that had some clout and financial strength to endure the break-in period (both Adobe and Microsoft).

A side note is that the above statement is true for us as developers, as well. We are the end-users of dev tools. If they are cross platform we can choose where we want to play, as well.

-Brice

Scoop: Microsoft Expression Suite To Run On Apple Computers!

But Wait? Aren't Operating Systems Great?

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