Microsoft News Tracker

Back in September, I compared Microsoft’s Avalon (WPF) and Indigo (WCF) demo application Microsoft Max to one of those glitzy concept cars that automakers are always wheeling out, but which never appear in the product line. Apparently the comparison was more apt than I realized since Max has just wheeled off into the sunset. Dare Obasanjo points to a post at the Max team blog titled “Thank you: the Max project has concluded” which breaks the news:

Thanks to your participation, we were able to accomplish the goals of the Max project—to get customer feedback on new ways to approach software and services. If you’re interested in seeing where we go with these ideas, keep your eye on Windows Live.

Starting today, we will be disabling all downloads from our website. In the next week, we will be shutting down the Max services and our team forums. At that time, you will no longer be able to sign in to Max or share lists of photos with your friends. You will still be able to read news and browse the lists you’ve already shared and received.

I expect there will be some grumbling.