Wow, check this MSDN article out. The future sure looks bright for ADO.NET. Coupled with the recent innovations in client databinding technologies (ASP.NET 2.0, WinForms 2.0), forthcoming LINQ innovations and forthcoming client databinding innovations in WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation).  Microsoft sure seems set to take data access, manipulation and presentation to the next level.

The only question I have is, what is the WinFS team doing while all these other technologies are emerging around it? I hope they align themselves properly, because it would be a shame for WinFS to come out and not provide a programming model consistent with these new advances.

Update 5/13:

Looks like they pulled the ADO.NET article off MSDN for some reason. I'm not the only person wondering where it went though.