During Build 2017 in Seattle earlier this year Microsoft showed off some new features they were working on for the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
Two of these features, Windows Timeline and a Cloud-Powered Clipboard, will no longer make it into the fall update as confirmed last week by Microsoft's Joe Belfiore.
It is not uncommon, especially in this new agile Windows development process of twice yearly feature updates, for a feature to not make the cut. Prior to the Creators Update in April it was the My People feature that was pulled because it was not meeting quality standards for release. It is now in testing for release as part of the Fall Creators Update.
For Windows Timeline and the Cloud-Powered Clipboard features they never even made it into a pre-release testing build so seeing them pulled while frustrating is just part of this fast paced feature update development process.
Alongside of the Windows Timeline announcement at Build 2017, Microsoft also unveiled new APIs and SDKs for developers to use within their own apps to take advantage of the Microsoft Graph and creating cross platform experiences between Windows 10, iOS, and Android devices.
So when the word surfaced last week that Windows Timeline was not coming to the Fall Creators Update, it got me thinking about those developer tools for Project Rome and whether they would be available despite the delay of Windows Timeline.
I reached out to Microsoft to ask that very question and here is what a Microsoft spokesperson told me:
"We are dedicated to providing developers with the toolsets and APIs needed to take advantage of the various features associated with Project Rome, including Timeline. We look forward to sharing more information in the future. Meanwhile, for information on developer API and tool availability, please visit the Project Rome developer page, the Project Rome Github page, and our Building Apps for Windows blog."
So it would seem that work continues on the Project Rome framework which makes sense since Microsoft is also continuing to work on the feature for what will now be the Spring 2018 feature update for Windows 10. Plus, this week during a Windows Insider Bug Bash live stream, Belfiore stated that Insiders would see the Windows Timeline feature in early builds of Redstone 4 after the Fall Creators Update is released in the September timeframe.
The only thing missing from this equation is a confirmation that Project Rome capabilities will be in the Fall Creators Update but I am leaning towards yes on that one and will keep an eye out for future announcements on that subject.
Cross platform capabilities is partially implemented through Cortana right now but the features of Project Rome really expand those features so I am looking forward to what it brings to the ecosystem of devices I use daily.
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