WPF= Windows applications that happen to be net enabled. XBAP’s cloud the issue a bit but they are really windows apps that run on a windows client inside a partial trust web browser.

WPF/E= a cross platform technology that sits as as a plug in technology that runs inside a web browser. It doesn’t interact with the CLR or C# or VB.net compiled code. It just talks to javascript and interacts with it like everything else inside the browser does, including ASP.NET. My point is people can do the same type of 2 way databinding without having to have actually have it done inside the XAML itself. Databinding is a hallmark function of ASP.net, and honestly having ASP.NET do it for you isn’t any worse.

I also personally don’t agree with your point of view that WPF/E is a defensive technology. It’s very different from per say the Macromedia products like Flash. People are quick to judge but the way the plug-in works is very very different from flash.

A good example of another declaritive language (like XAML) that works differently in different situations differently is POSTSCRIPT..

Postscript used in a PDF is much different than the postscript that’s fed to your laser printer for rendering. You wouldn’t have the same generic postscipt file in both locations. My point is the use of XAML is different, and that’s okay. You have XAML to describe more things in a WPF application where in a WPF/E application it just talks to and fires events to a scripting engine built into the browser.

I think the fundamental difference I am talking about here between WPF applications and the use of XAML, and the difference in WPF/E means there probably will never be easy portability between the two no matter how much we might like it.

All in all I won’t say ” WPF/E is a good start – but it’s not enough – yet.”

Because I am seeing amazing things being done with it, and considering it isn’t even 1.0 yet, by the time we get there well.. It is not a difficult technology to use or get something very cool done with it. I like it for what it is.

Also, generally – to say that WPF/E is good enough right now I think misunderstands the market place. WPF/E is a defensive product. There are other (good) competing technologies out there that are comparable to WPF and are also cross-platform. WPF/E is a good start – but it’s not enough – yet.