bitbonk

1. extensive designtime support for cutom controls (Microsoft.Windows.Design.dll);
2. a plugin architecture to write true plugins for blend
3. better 3D content authoring support (mesh editing, texturing, animation) or give us an external tool with a workflow that really works (maybe the Microsoft Truespace team can do something for you  ); currently building WPF 3D scenes that are little bit more complex is a very timeconsuming task even if you have very good 3D artists in place
4. XAML intellisense
5. XAML outlining (folding xml elements) like in Visual Studio
6. HSV mode in Blend's colorpicker
7. sourcecontrol integration

Over at Mary Jo Foley's new Blog Jim Allchin, the mastermind behind Windows Vista, talks about what Microsoft went through during the long development cycle of Vista. It's a very interesting read. It seems that Jim Allchin initialized and conducted a major reconditioning of the windows architecture as well as the windows development process. Did you know that Vista took only two and a half years? ;) I remember that headline from the Wall Street Journal last year: "It is not going to work". The article belonging to that headline described the big changes that happened at Microsoft during that time and how Microsoft "started over" with developing Vista. I'd link you to it but unfortunately it's gone. But here is Paul Thurrott reflecting on it.