I think the next big (and good) Nugget in GUI web development is on the horizon. (And not just in the .Net world.) I've always said I will never limit my focus to any one technology. You pay me to write Java, I'll write some Java. You pay me to write .Net... done. I admit I prefer .Net, ANet (Asp.Net.) and ANet's most recent flavors: MS Ajax, MS AJAX Toolkit, etc. Even though the graphical web has been evolving for several years it has been lacking to say the least. AJAX has successfully regenerated life back into the static-script-tricky-stateless world we know as the web. So what is next...?
Scott Guthrie wrote about it today: ScottGu's Blog
Additional documentation can be found here: "WPF/E" (codename) CTP SDK (Dec 2006)
My Java friends will tell me it can be done with Java using applets or Java Web Start. They will tell me it can be done with Flash/Shockwave. I will agree with them to a certain extent. John Milan points out reasons in his article as to why it can be successful. Here are some those (and a few more) reasons why it will have an impact.
Competition - Google has set the standard for interactive web apps. Microsoft has Google in the cross hairs. Microsoft has been successful coming from behind to re-"innovate" where others have succeeded.
Development Tools- If you have ever used Visual Studio, you know it has some hidden nuggets in the form of shortcomings. If you have never used it, then you have never experienced the integration capabilities it provides. The "general ease" it provides for developing web applications can fill the Applet/AWT/Swing/Struts/Eclipse/JSF/[Insert Next Nugget] void. It will know doubt ease the development of this new technology... at some point.
Developers - A good community base chomping at the bit for new technology and a chance to make something old look new again.
Business - Think AJAX... Think marketing... Think bandwagon.
Evolution - This is the precursor to thicker clients over the web. "Click-Once..."
I'll be the first to admit this thing is probably not a silver bullet. To a certain extent it may (and does) appear similar to previous technologies. But ask yourself why this work won’t? If it does become a cross browser and cross platform reality... Why is this a bad thing? Leave out all answers containing, "I hate Microsoft."