Finally I found some time to get a closer look at the new CTP of Acropolis. There are some improvements and there are some new features that are worth mentioning.
I personally am pretty excited to see how windows client development is improving. I always liked the ideas behind the composite UI application block[1]. But the application block was limited to windows forms. Ok, there are implementations around that enable WPF usage[2], but it's still not a really good solution.
The last CTP includes some improvements to theming. Previously it was only possible to get the "hidden" themes by manually looking them up using reflector and use the name in the application XML file. In the last CTP the themes are enabled and can be selected using a special combobox in the designer. Also the animation support has improved, sometimes it runs smoother then with the last version. However, when you are using the sepia theme, the application is actually getting slower.
All in all, I think it's coming together nicely and I think it's time for me to get writing about the actual features and how to use them. Great stuff 😀
[1] http://www.codeplex.com/smartclient/
[2] http://www.codeplex.com/wpfcab