Microsoft is putting the brakes on its .NET Workflow Service, a component of its Windows Azure platform. In a blog post yesterday, the .NET SQL Service team explained that customers have been demanding that the service be based on the .NET 4.0 Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) engine. Development will freeze as a consequence, because WF 4.0 is not due until the .NET Framework 4.0 ships. Developers that have built services using Workflow Service have until July 1 to modify their applications (when the next CTP is released).
Good for Microsoft—consistency is important. Last summer, I wrote that Microsoft was concerned about the .NET framework becoming too fragmented. It is clearly taking steps to ensure that does not become more of a problem.