With public Setbacks Behind It, Silverlight Shines

[CommanderFrank]

Some swear by it while others just swear at it. Microsoft's Silverlight has had its share of detractors over the years, but this trend may be coming to an end very soon. Public opinion is shifting in Silverlight's favor.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced that it is working with Intel and Broadcom to enable Silverlight to work on set-top boxes, Web-enabled TVs, and other consumer electronics devices. And next week, Microsoft plans to announce a release date for Silverlight's latest upgrade.

 

[tesfaye]

Well, this is good news!

 

[blitzkommando]

Maybe with Silverlight and HTML5 we can finally get rid of Flash. I can't begin to recall how many times Flash has hung or crashed resulting in my browser hanging while it disables Flash.

 

[geo111]

Isn't Silverlight just another tool used to serve advertisements?

 

[krupted]

silverlight is what 'flash' should be. i applaud this news. some say html5 is all you need, and it may be, but a little competition isnt bad.

 

[Gibbage]

Im sure we will see Silverlight on the Ipad any day now!

 

[Vash63]

I'd be a bit happier about this if MS kept the Linux client up to date, or assisted Novell easier. Preliminary specs or something to help them get it done in time instead of being constantly a year behind...

 

[phide]

Now if Microsoft were to open source Silverlight technology, we'd be good to go. But that obviously won't happen.

So, HTML5. Perhaps Silverlight does more -- but HTML5 and Canvas certainly do enough. And there's WebGL to add to the mix as well.

 

[niconx]

silverlight is what 'flash' should be.

I totally agree.

 

[chris719]

Problem is, Silverlight is basically .NET for the web and that means it will likely never have good support on platforms other than Windows. I am aware of Moonlight/Mono but it lags behind.

 

[krupted]

i agree chris... but were only talking about windows machines. it still encompasses 90+% of the end users out there. and if linux wants to have similar features, why would it be microsoft's responsibility to do so?

 

[Vash63]

i agree chris... but were only talking about windows machines. it still encompasses 90+% of the end users out there. and if linux wants to have similar features, why would it be microsoft's responsibility to do so?

Who said it was Microsoft's responsibility to help Linux? It's not their responsibility to do anything but make money for their shareholders.

It's web developer's and users responsibility to make sure a platform does not succeed when tied to a single platform or company. It's Microsoft's job to make Silverlight work on all platforms if they want it to be broadly accepted.

 

[trooper11]

It's web developer's and users responsibility to make sure a platform does not succeed when tied to a single platform or company.

its the consumer's responsibility to not buy into a platform that is proprietary? that would eliminate alot of platforms. Its the consumer's responsibility to buy products that fill the roles they need them for. If that happens to be a proprietary platform, you cant fault the consumers for wanting it.

 

[trooper11]

...and messed up the quote lol

 

[phide]

its the consumer's responsibility to not buy into a platform that is proprietary? that would eliminate alot of platforms.

Not when it comes to the web, no. The current makeup of the web is HTML, XHTML, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, Flash, some QuickTime, Silverlight and XML. Most of these technologies are open standards that any user with a semi-modern browser can experience. Some of them are proprietary technologies.

And he is right -- web developers do have a certain responsibility to utilize platforms that offer the path of least resistance for users. If a user doesn't need to install Silverlight because a web application is instead built with open technologies, then that equates to the path of least resistance for users. The side benefit is that, whenever a developer takes that route, dependence on proprietary technology is reduced by a tad.

Rather than embracing a truly open standards-built web, Micosoft seeks only to control it, granting only some users the capability to utilize the technologies it's developed at its own discretion. That just isn't the way the web should be.