Hi, well its been some time but I found out that the meta-data is
encapsulated into the file if possible, so with JPEG that's no problem but
with GIF then it is added to MS Vista own d/b.
But this means that the metadata travels where the file goes, which means
cross platform. There is also a 'new' standard being pushed called XMP which
is to either replace EXIF or ITCP (I can't remember) but its supported by
Adobe so there's no bad stuff going on.
As far as I can tell MS have done everything properly and to please me, so
I'm happy, you might want to check these links:
MS image blog:
http://blogs.msdn.com/pix/default.aspx
XMP:
http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/
"Enables creation of "smart assets" that retain context when passed across
multiple file formats, software applications, devices, and databases"
"Enables flexible search and retrieval of rich media across diverse file
formats and databases"
"Based on open standards"
Samuel, UK