Microsoft Volta- Experimental and Electrifying...

Friday December 7, 2007

Continuing on the theme of "something that isn't Java" from yesterday, Microsoft have taken a step in Google's footsteps with Volta. The best way to describe this is like saying that it's the .NET equivalent of GWT- the Google Web Toolkit that creates JavaScript applications from Java. It all sounds very messy but the truth of the matter is that many web applications are written in JavaScript which runs in the browser. Yes there is Flash but developing in that isn't easy and anyway Silverlight is Microsoft's Flash killer. JavaScript/GWT and now Volta are for more light weight everyday applications.

The big problem is that when writing applications that let you do things on the web, the best way and it isn't really much good for sophisticated GUIs is the humble old browser. This has been recognized as a stumbling block for many years and developing the next generation of internet GUI is basically the Holly Grail. If you've ever developed websites you'll know there is a baffling array of different technologies and browser incompatibilities to deal with. Volta is an experimental developer toolset that allows developers to build standards-conformant, multi-tier web applications using established .NET languages, libraries and development tools. I'm not sure if Visual C# 2008 Express Edition is usable with it so if anyone finds out please let me know. Volta needs the .NET framework 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008. There is an excellent quick start on the Volta website.