Despite the ties to the .NET Framework, there's still a lot to learn to make best use of WinFX. Each pillar has its own little tricks. You're not left to lurch along entirely on your own, though. Microsoft provides samples in Visual Basic and C# here. For example, WPF is showcased in, among other things, a Blackjack demo, which you can create either in the SDK's Build environment or in Visual Studio 2005. You'll also find a veritable WinFX feast in the WinFX Developer Center on MSDN.

If you need to mix and match managed and unmanaged code, you can do that too. By using the C++/CLI (the successor to Managed Extensions to C++), and compiling one module of an unmanaged application with the /clr switch to create metadata that other managed applications can consume, you retain compatibility with the unmanaged application while opening the door to managed apps. Over time, you can convert other modules until your entire app is in managed code.

Bringing existing applications under the WinFX umbrella is a matter of breaking them down by the three pillars, according to Zado. "It's like peeling back the layers of an onion," he said. Look at the elements and decide which pillars could be used, then peel back another layer to determine how each fits in. Or, instead of converting the base app, look at how you can extend what's already been done, but using managed code.

But, you say, I'm not in the Vista beta, and I don't have a copy of the latest CTP. How can I play with WinFX?

Not to worry. WinFX is also supported under Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP 1. The plan is to pull some of the new functionality back into those operating systems to give users a taste of the benefits and to provide a broader base for the technology. Download the latest beta of the WinFX development tools; starting with the February 2006 CTP, they are included in the Windows Vista SDK