Top 10 Reasons Silverlight Will Change the Web

Microsoft Silverlight is a XAML based WPF technology for vector graphics, video, design, and development of applications for the desktop, as well as the web.  It is cross-browser, cross-platform browser plug-in that is less than 2 megabyte in size!  It will change the web as we know it, finally creating a feasible, professional platform for building the most rich user experience websites out there.  Silverlight is not a competitor to Flash as some would have you believe.  In fact, Silverlight and Flash work extremely well together!  Here are the top 10 Reasons Silverlight will change the web!

1. Highest Quality Video Experience
   Prepare to see some of the best quality videos you have seen in your life, all embedded in highly graphical websites.  The same research and technology that was used for VC-1, the codec that powers BluRay and HD DVD, is used by Microsoft today with its streaming media technologies. Video overlays, custom menus, all become possible!
2. Cross-Platform, Cross-Browser
   Finally build web applications that work on any browser, and on any operating system. At release, Silverlight will work with Mac as well as Windows!  The Mono project has also already promised support for Linux!
3. Developers and Graphic Designers can play together!
   Developers familiar with Visual Studio, Microsoft.net will be able to develop amazing Silverlight applications very quickly, and they will work on Mac's and Windows.  Developers will finally be able to strictly focus on the back end of the application core, while leaving the visuals to the Graphic Design team using the power of XAML.
4. Cheaper
   Silverlight is now the most inexpensive way to stream video files over the internet at the best quality possible.  Licensing is dead simple, all you need is IIS in Windows Server, and you’re done.  Currently if you want to stream Flash video files, you would need to purchase Flash Media Server and license a few components.
5. Support for 3rd Party Languages
   using the power of the new Dynamic Language Runtime, developers will now be able to use Ruby, Python, and EcmaScript!  This means a Ruby developer can develop Silverlight applications, and leverage the .net Framework!
6. Cross-Platform, Cross-Browser Remote Debugging
   If you are in the need to debug an application running on a Mac, no problem!  You can now set breakpoints, step into/over code, have immediate windows, and all that other good stuff that Visual Studio provides.
7. The best development environment on the planet
   Visual Studio is an award winning development platform!  As it continues to constantly evolve, so will Silverlight!
8. Built to allow Mashups
   Microsoft spent a lot of time enabling Silverlight to easily consume web services, and easily consume various services and data from around the web.  Silverlight supports LINQ and LINQ-to-XML.  All of this data can be easily accessed via RSS, POX, REST, and JSON.
9. Silverlight offers copy protection
   Have you noticed how easy it is to download YouTube videos to your computer, and save them for later viewing (If not, read here.)?  Silverlight will finally have the features enabling content providers complete control over their rich media content!  Streaming television, new indie broadcast stations, all will now be possible!
10. Extreme Speed
    There is a dramatic improvement in speed for AJAX-enabled websites that begin to use Silverlight, leveraging the Microsoft .net framework.

Silverlight is the biggest launch since Microsoft .net 1.0.  My guess is a lot of people will take it as a Flash clone, and not understand its true power until it takes over the web.  This is not a Flash clone at all.  This is the new web development platform for a whole new era of Web Applications.

Comments

[vnjug]

I dont think that Silverlight can compete with Flash/Flex/Appolo and Java. Mono is not popular in Linux world and is not ready for production so Silverlight is not cross platform.

[Frank Smith]

Although this is a very concise list for Silverlight. However UI aesthetics has never really determined the success of an technology. The key success factors will most likely be based on how it fits with other technologies in the stack.

If it only can be served up on IIS then adoption will be a problem.

[Rob]

Ok, after ready your blog I feel I know a little more about SilverLight than I did 24 hours ago. I've installed the plugin for FF running on Mac OS X (10.4.9) and looked at the demo stuff. I really didn't feel that the Fantastic Four movie trailer looked any better than when I played it in QT on the Apple Movie Trailers site. I agree that this is not a clone of Flash but could you please explain how it is suppose to compliment Flash? From my understanding you can develop stand alone Flash apps. Is VS.NET going to be released for Mac/Linux to develop SL apps from these platforms or will you only be allowed to develop from a Windows platform. I agree that if it only runs on IIS I wont be hosting the technology because I refuse to run IIS. I truly believe that if they want it to succeed its going to have to run on something besides IIS and the development environment is going to have to be cross platform as well.

[Wayne]

So I have to give up my development platform of choice (not windoze) in order to write "cross-platform" web apps?

And it "fully supports" non-MS servers but there is a list of features that only work with MS servers and the list will grow over time?

Whew. I thought for a second there that MS was turning over a new leaf. On closer examination, it's easy to see that it's business as usual up in Redmond.

If I you want REAL cross-platform support, Flash/Apollo and Java are still the best way to go.

[Miguel Carrasco]

Silverlight is intended for Microsoft Developers that currently use Visual Studio in combination with AJAX, and some flash. Silverlight provides these developers with a "platform" to tie various technologies together under one roof, while making them browser agnostic. Sure Java has tried this in the past, but I truly believe nothing works as well as Silverlight for an all around development platform.

Silverlight is NOT intended to replace flash, AJAX, Windows Media, or ASP.net. It is intended to make developing applications that use all of these technologies easier. With the release of Silverlight, you will see hundreds of more Media Rich web applications invading the web.

Flash/Apollo is great, Java works, Flash is awesome. These will never go away! Silverlight however will give the millions of Visual Studio developers an amazing tool to develop web applications of the future!

Microsoft is definitely playing catch up here, but I really believe in this case, they have not only caught up, but surpassed anything that is currently out there.

[Jon]

How much Microsoft pay you?

[Dan Tinnes]

Client Linux is irrelevant. Silverlight is what Flash wants to be in 10 years or so from now when it gets a real VM and some real languages on it.

[Ifeanyi Echeruo]

Rob,
Could you refer me to the list of Silverlight features that only work with Microsoft server software?
If I can verify them the I can file bugs to get them fixed.
Last I checked all the Silverlight logic happens in the browser plugin. All the server is responsible for is delivering files to the client.

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Silverlight provides these developers with a "platform" to tie various technologies together under one roof, while making them browser agnostic. Sure Java has tried this in the past, but I truly believe nothing works as well as Silverlight for an all around development platform.

[ClubPenguinCheats]

Silverlight provides these developers with a "platform" to tie various technologies together under one roof, while making them browser agnostic. Sure Java has tried this in the past, but I truly believe nothing works as well as Silverlight for an all around development platform.

[Büyü]

Silverlight provides these developers with a "platform" to tie various technologies together under one roof, while making them browser agnostic. Sure Java has tried this in the past, but I truly believe nothing works as well as Silverlight for an all around development platform.

[24]

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