While building management applications using Internet technologies can be successful, there are many aspects of management that are not addressed by the Internet. For example, large enterprise management consoles may one day converge on using HTML as their presentation UI, but they will always need the support to perform network device auto-discovery. MMC is designed to be a premier Windows-based platform with a strong level of support that addresses all the needs of our users.
Our implementation makes it such that Snap-Ins can perform the more traditional tasks using well- targeted COM interfaces, and for rendering can use many implementation technologies including traditional list views, HTML, Java™, ActiveX, and special purpose ActiveX controls (such as a Network Topology Map view).
We believe that a reasonable portion of the MMC UI will be Internet technology-based, but there is still a long road ahead before Internet technologies can truly perform some of the more advanced management tasks. Features such as multiselect, advanced window management, simple end-user customization, and advanced drag and drop are impossible, or much more difficult, to implement using alternate technologies. We will support new efforts as they are defined and offer tangible benefits to administrators. Looking to Microsoft's own future, Trident, InternetStudio, ActiveServerDenali, NetShow, and many of the other technologies demonstrated at the PDC are, or will soon be, supported.