WinFS

Windows Future Storage ( WinFS ) is a program begun by Microsoft File System Extension to NTFS, which should expand the Windows operating system to associative file management, but had to fight from the beginning with technical and conceptual problems. Because of the abbreviation "FS " in the name is often incorrectly assumed that it was a stand-alone file system (English File System). Microsoft announced in June 2006, the setting of the project because the innovations are already included in Windows.

History

WinFS was originally intended for use in early 2007 published version of Windows Vista. Later it was announced that Vista will initially be delivered without WinFS. Finally, Microsoft announced in June 2006, the final adjustment of the project known. It builds on the used since Windows NT NTFS, but should realize new concepts as they previously did not exist under Windows.

WinFS was originally 2005, the technology of SQL Server ( code name during the BETA phase: Yukon ) use and should facilitate the location of files by file information is no longer stored centrally, but are repeatedly distributed on the disk. From this cross - indexing for faster data access is hoped also files can be indexed according to various criteria ( eg, name, subject, author ).

Back in the early nineties, Microsoft announced an object-oriented file system for Windows NT 3.5. This project has not yet complied with to date, the software company.

End of August 2005 was released by Microsoft, the first trial. But she was only available for customers of the Microsoft Developer Network.

On 24 June 2006 reported the Internet portal Slashdot that the plan for a standalone product " WinFS " had been abandoned. Instead, it is planned to incorporate parts of the technology in the next versions of SQL Server ( codename Katmai ) and ADO.NET. Slashdot was referring to the public blog of WinFS development team.

However, the blog also says that the developments, as far as finished, in Windows and other products can be integrated.

Technology

In WinFS data are stored as "items", where relationships and metadata can be determined by the user. The definitions are implemented using XML schemas.

The surface of older Longhorn builds allows a the views of the data. These are continuously monitored for changes, and the user can be notified with various alarms. In this Longhorn versions there is only one WinFS storage, the default tore through \ \ localhost \ is reachable. The SQL database is located in / System32/WinFS/Data and stores entries, links and metadata, where actual file contents are hidden in NTFS streams. For old clients (such as Microsoft Word) WinFS plays before a normal file system. In the Longhorn versions, there is also a revised file dialog, which enables the use of WinFS. Applications that use the standard dialog ( for example, Notepad ), can use the search and grouping capabilities of Aero.