Microsoft has released Volta

About a week ago Microsoft released Volta from the labs.


What is Volta :

Volta is a developer toolset for building multi-tier web applications using existing and familiar tools, techniques and patterns, It allows to make the decisions until the very last passible moment.

It also enables new end-to-end profiling and testing.

It makes that you can build your application as a .NET client application and then assign parts of your application to the client side or the server side. The compiler automatically creates cross-browser JavaScript, web services and all required code for the tiers to communicate.


Volta has the following advantages :
In the architectural dimension :
Language-independence. Write Volta code in any language that compiles into MSIL. For example, C#, VB, IronPython, etc.
Leverage the entire .NET toolchain. Use libraries; the IDE, Intellisense, auto-complete, snippets; FxCop; profiler; class browser; ILDASM; and so on.
Low entry barrier. Reduce your learning burden; use “only the languages in the room.”
Brown-field applicability. Volta-enable existing applications for the cloud.
Beyond 2 tiers. Refactor to as many tiers as you need using exactly the same mechanisms recursively applied.

In the execution-platform dimension :
Deep embedding of CLR semantics. Preserve exact CLR semantics across platforms.
Cross-browser support. Use one programming model across browsers.
Complete orthogonality with refactoring. Mix and match refactoring and retargeting.
Ajax-ready. Write Ajax patterns and idioms in familiar .NET languages.
Debugging transparency. Debug code with a specific browser.
Leverage browser-specific features. Where needed, access features unique to each browser.
Visual-Studio integration. Enjoy seamless integration with the IDE.


In the next post we will make our first Volta application.
Can't wait?
Download volta here : http://labs.live.com/volta/download/