Expected to be an add-on to Vista, and the subject of presentations at TechEd last week, WinFS has been axed. The idea of WinFS was to get away from the current file system, where files were stored in a hierarchical system of folders, but to have Windows present files based on the request. For example, want to distribute pictures on a CD? Windows would give you a list of JPGs and GIFs.
This isn’t really a surprise, as it was originally part of Vista but was cut in 2004 … then resurrected as an add-on last August.
