WinFS's enhanced searching capabilities will give developers another option other than relational databases for storing information, said Mike Sax, president of Sax Software.
"Having 'rich' files that have searchable attributes would allow you to build apps in such a way that you no longer need a database, but you still have all the advantages of doing fast searches," Sax said.
Even with the planned improvements, Microsoft has made it clear that it intends to create a smooth transition for application developers as well. A conference description of WinFS notes that the storage system supports the new application programming interfaces (API) built into Longhorn as well as the existing Win32 APIs for tapping into Windows' functions.
For end users, the introduction of Longhorn and the new file system could mean a clearer view of widely scattered information. Rather than navigating through a hierarchy of different directories, people can rely more on queries.
"With WinFS, the concept of hierarchy becomes a secondary concept," Muglia said. "It still exists, but it's not necessarily the only, not necessarily the primary, way users find information."
