What is WPF/E?

After reading the WPF based Reader Application by Scott, I'm truely impressed by what WPF has to offer, so I decided it's time for me to get on the wagon before it's too late. After digging around a bit, I found there is another thing called "WPF/E".

I know what the name stands for "Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere", but after reading several different sources, I can't wrap my head around it.

From MSDN2 website,

“WPF/E is the Microsoft solution for delivering rich, cross-platform, interactive experiences including animation, graphics, audio, and video for the Web and beyond. Utilizing a subset of XAML (eXtensible Application Markup Language)-based Windows Presentation Foundation technology, “WPF/E” will enable the creation of content and applications that run within multiple browsers and operating systems (Windows and Macintosh) using Web standards for programmability. Consistent with Web architecture, the XAML markup is programmable using JavaScript and works well with ASP.NET AJAX. Broadly available for customers in the first half of 2007, “WPF/E” experiences will require a lightweight browser plug-in made freely available by Microsoft."

If I did not misinterpret it, then it seems like it's a Java-Applet like solution. It requires your users to download a plug-in for your browser in order to run it.

I'm a bit confused by it, does that mean my users' machines have to have .NET 3.0 as well? To view our website, they have to use a plug-in?

I remember how painful it was to use Java-Applet back in the 90s, never liked it... but then again, Java Applet was harder to program, did not have a good tool to create the UI component at the time and they were simply ugly! ( I believe a lot people are like me, a shallow reason that is)

WPF/E I believe, Microsoft Visual Studio will have excellent support for us to do the design, but I'm still a bit  uneasy of the fact it has to be downloaded by my users.

I definitely need to read more on it and see what it has to offer before I make any more judgments. It's weird to think I had no problem with flash-plugin ever but I was against Java Applet. Never programmed in neither one, but I prefer one over the other by 200%. Why is that? Could it simply be the fact flash is prettier and looks more attractive?

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