Abstracting Data Locations

[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

There are three areas in particular where applications need to help in achieving a manageable environment:

• Use default data locations.
• Use the registry properly.
• Do not assume a single-user installation.

By following these guidelines, applications allow the enterprise network to be used much more flexibly. In particular, they enable three kinds of usage that have not been possible before:

• Roaming use. You can log on to any unused computer in your organization and have all your settings and data available to you.
• Mobile use. When you take your laptop home or on a trip, you automatically have access to cached copies of the network data you need.
• Side-by-side computer replacement. If your computer fails, you can replace it with a new one within minutes, recovering your configuration and data automatically.