Silverlight? hmm
by leon on January 15, 2008
It seems like all I seem to do on this blog is slag of anything related to Microsoft – and i’m about to do it again. In fairness I have included a really big image (above) to make up for it. My latest (ok its a few months old, but i’ve only just thought about writing about it) gripe is Silverlight. The aparent next gen RIA framework posed to set the internet alight.
STOP!! There is something out called Flash? Not to sure if you have heard about it as it’s on about 98% of PCs!!.
Thats my first point right there (above). How can Microsoft expect to be a real contender in the market if they are already 98% behind at start-up. Lets face it Bill and his team are not the best at implementing new technologies or formats (WMV, WMA).
Second, Microsoft mentions seamless integration with Mac and Windows but what about Linux users. Surely with the failures of Vista it would be silly not to include this user group.
Third, with the introduction of AS3, AIR and JavaFX is there anything new that only Silverlight can offer? If there is, I can’t seem to find it. A quick look at the Silverlight Showcase shows a bunch of seemingly Flash like apps, fair enough the project is still in development.
Fourth, to develop content of Silverlight requires (yep you guessed it) a Windows set up. When will Microsoft learn to make their stuff fully cross platform? (there is a development of a Linux based SDK called Moonlight on the way)
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe in a dominant force in any area, but Flash has the field of RIA’s pretty well wrapped up. For Microsoft to make Silverlight a real contender they need fresh, exciting, open (source) and readily available methods for creating content.
On a plus side however as Matt Casto points out is:
The exciting feature about Silverlight, for me and lots of other Microsoft developers, is being able to execute compiled code in the browser, in a language that I’m already using day to day.
It’s a good point, and one I forgot to mention: developers can’t be forced to learn a language that is unfamiliar to them, so for Microsoft it seems like Silverlight is for the .Net coders outthere. As for me, I’ve had a big enough step up from AS2 to AS3 and learning a new language just isn’t for me, however I do look forward to see what Silverlight can do.
2 comments
The exciting feature about Silverlight, for me and lots of other Microsoft developers, is being able to execute compiled code in the browser, in a language that I’m already using day to day. I know lots of developers who haven’t had the time to learn Flash, Flex, Air, etc., but can jump right into Silverlight development.
Sure the showcase is full of Flash-like applications, but this is because Silverlight is new and these new features aren’t out yet … they’re due in Silverlight 2.0.
Its true that Microsoft is way behind Adobe when it comes to install base, but their recent deal with NBC to host the 2008 Olympics this August should give them a good start. Just because you’re behind, doesn’t mean that you should give up and never start. Also, don’t forget about the fact that Silverlight will probably end up being used in lots of intranet / enterprise applications where browser penetration doesn’t matter as much.
Finally, I’d like to not that Linux isn’t an officially supported platform, but Microsoft has partnered with Novell and a Linux version is being developed. It’s called Moonlight and is being created by the same team that maintains the Mono project – .NET for Linux. (http://www.mono-project.com/Moonlight)
by Matt Casto on January 16, 2008 at 2:16 am. #
I agree with Matt, I feel more comfortable coding in a language that is familiar to me.
You obiously like Flash (and very good at it too) and that is your choice of SDK.
I am working on a few Silverlight things myself and would like to compare them to the Flash work that you could/have done.
by Jenny Bates on January 16, 2008 at 4:42 pm. #