Silverlight
Plug in, switch on, see the light! Silverlight is the cross-browser, cross-platform and cross-device browser plug-in we use to design, develop and deliver applications and experiences on the Web. It’s Microsoft’s baby – and we love it – given that it’s easier and faster than Flash. For your customers, it’s a free download that installs in seconds. For us, it’s a gateway into a whole new universe!
Imagine: web-based (AJAX) applications that are as powerful as desktop applications. These smart client applications might run from within the context of your browser but give you the full power and flexibility associated with installing an application on a user’s computer – and all without the hassle that usually accompanies JavaScript.
What you’re dreaming about is Silverlight: a means for delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. Supporting fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality video to all major browsers running on the Mac OS or Windows, Silverlight not only integrates with existing Web applications but also offers a flexible programming model that supports AJAX, VB, C#, Python, and Ruby.
A Flash in the pan?
That Silverlight leverages the .NET framework means we can create visually rich experiences more easily while providing backend support for rapid development – without having to invest in the huge amount of development resource that AJAX applications demand. They’ve had it their own way for too long now, due to the ease of accessing them and deploying them – but nobody can deny there aren’t major issues in programming, performance and power.
JavaScript is a difficult language to program due to the lack of development tools and inability to debug properly. The fact that it’s a scripting language, not a programming language, means that relatively speaking, it’s quite slow (in comparison .NET code runs roughly 1000 times faster). And of course, there’s the complete disconnect between the application and the hardware: being a browser-based application, and having virtually no access to the power of a user’s computer, means they can’t, for example, perform advanced graphical operations as they have no proper access to a user’s video card.
Instead, Silverlight represents a step change in attitudes to how programs are developed and deployed. It really is the best of both worlds: it takes the best part of Web-based applications, (their ability to be accessed quickly and simply without client installation on any platform), and marries this with traditional desktop application development. The results are astonishing – you’ll notice the effects instantly.
Find out more.