Announcing eXpressApp Framework Beta 1

DevExpress is proud to announce the immediate availability of the eXpressApp Framework Beta 1, our solution for fast multi-platform business application development. It is available immediately from the product page at:

http://www.devexpress.com/xaf

Since our previous CTP releases, we have worked hard to complete the functionality that will be part of our 1.0 release, and we have used customer feedback to optimize the developer experience as well as the feature set.

The Beta 1 release is still a pre-release version of the eXpressApp Framework. Nearly all the modules we deliver are feature complete. The Windows Workflow module is the most notable exception to this, where the same degree of completeness hasn't been reached yet. Although we have already gone through extensive internal testing, we must realistically expect all modules to have minor bugs at this stage. Please send us your feedback about all functional problems or bugs you find.

We have restructured the business object library since the previous releases. Although it doesn't contain any domain-specific functionality yet (we will get into this after 1.0), it has a number of classes that might be useful in many applications. We have also introduced a structural concept using interfaces, so that a developer can use the functionality of the classes we deliver even if his own application requires different/additional fields or classes. This is another area where we'd really like to obtain feedback.

Getting started with the eXpressApp Framework is now easier than it was before, as now we include introductory documentation. We have also made all relevant changes to the product pages, the demos and demo descriptions (accessible via the URL above).

We would like all eXpressApp Framework testers to work together with us closely. Our general-purpose support channels via support@devexpress.com and http://www.devexpress.com/support/center are open to eXpressApp Framework users, and in addition to that we have a newsgroup and a blog site for news, information and discussions about the product. Please see this URL for detailed information:

http://www.devexpress.com/Products/NET/Application_Framework/xaf-community.xml

A Note on Pricing

Though not yet officially released, we wanted to let all potential customers know of the expected pricing schedule that will accompany the product. The eXpressApp Framework will sell for $799.99 without source and $1499.99 with source. Like all DevExpress technologies, this pricing includes a one year subscription. You can renew at your discretion (renewal year costs will be 40% of first year costs). These prices do not include any DevExpress component technologies and if you require those, you must purchase them separately.

Those customers who purchase DXperience Enterprise between now and the release (or have an active DXperience Subscription) of the eXpressApp Framework will receive XAF for free. After the official release, the eXpressApp Framework will not be included in DXperience Enterprise and must therefore be purchased separately.

Thank you and best wishes,
The DevExpress Team
www.devexpress.com