[Offtopic] Microsoft's Flash

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

<http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/07/26/Rich-media-reaches-Microsoft-
developers_1.html?source=NLC-AD&cgd=2007-08-02>

At Microsoft's MIX 07 conference, the keynote was mostly about Silverlight.

What is Silverlight, and why should we care about it?

<http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/why-compelling.aspx>

Officially, Silverlight "is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for 
delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich 
interactive applications for the Web."

Microsoft claims: "Stunning vector-based graphics, media, text, animation,
and overlays that enable seamless integration of graphics and effects
into any existing Web application." 

>From the user's viewpoint, to enable Silverlight, you download and install 
a 1.4 MB plugin, and then you can view Silverlight content in IE, Firefox 
or Safari. 

>From a developer's viewpoint, once you have the tools installed, you 
instantiate Silverlight by including some JavaScript helper files from 
your HTML, and then you can display and script XAML files in your Web 
pages. 

Free Developer Tools: <http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/tools.aspx>

Microsoft cites four key benefits of Silverlight:

1. Compelling cross-platform user experiences
2. Flexible Programming Model with Collaboration Tools
3. High-quality media, low-cost delivery
4. Connected to data, servers, and services

Two versions of Silverlight were announced Monday: the V1.0 beta, and the 
V1.1 Alpha. 

Again, why should we care? If you're a cynic, Silverlight just looks like 
Microsoft's answer to Flash. 

But if you like the idea of XAML-based display, or the idea of programming 
in managed code, then Silverlight offers a compelling model for 
programming the Web client.

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