Microsoft has become an Abstraction Factory- ADO.NET vNext, ObjectSpaces and Opath in the Entity Framework, Entity Data Model, and, Entity SQL

Welcome back ObjectSpaces, or something of the sort. I remember looking at Microsoft's introduction of ObjectSpaces back in 2002 - 2003. Although ObjectSpaces is suppose to be officially dead now, the MS O/RM movement seems to have been resurrected along with an army of data layer abstraction tools that we will be dependent on. The way I see it we are entering into a critical time for Microsoft. They have created, or are in the process of creating a development environment in which we are dependent on their skill sets to develop a ton of abstract tools.

Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) are abstraction layers built on the .NET Framework which will be available to us to use as the building blocks for our applications. Now with the coming release of ADO.NET vNext, they have covered every layer of a typical application.

So will this be a good thing or bad thing? I am not sure yet, since I haven't had the opportunity to use these technologies for anything more than play toys. I guess the future will bring about a true test of getting over the "It must be built here" syndrome.

I have no real opinion on the tools I discussed above yet. My only thought is that there is a lot to learn, and there are not very many developers available that are taking the time to learn. At least not fast enough for our environments, which is only a .NET 2.0 environment. So how quickly will there be developers available that understand software development processes as well as these new .NET 3.0 tools coming out? We are having trouble just finding developers for C# smart client development. No one seems to have an understanding of the CAB, which we use as part of a custom framework we have put in place, very few have even opened VSTS 2005 or used 2005 Reporting Services, or Enterprise Library 2.0. Finding people experienced with TFS is also not a possibility.

Admittedly we are in a location where many of the projects around here are government, and they seem to do their best to remain a decade behind the current technologies. But being on a project that does not have the latest technologies doesn't usually deter the good developers from learning the latest technologies. I think it is a case of overload. Microsoft has buried the average learner, and presented quite the challenge for the best workaholic out there.

There is a ton of info available about ADO.NET vNext, and I have provided some of the links I have been drawn to below.

OakLeaf Systems- ADO.NET vNext and Entity Framework Resources

ADO.NET vNext screencast

ADO.NET vNext on MSDN

The ADO.NET Entity Framework Overview (June 2006)

Next Generation Data Access (June 2006)

ADO.NET vNext Performance Q's

ADO.NET vNext CTP (Community Technology Preview) - August 2006

ADO.NET vNext Entity Data Model Designer Prototype, CTP