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Microsoft reevaluates Silverlight
SOFTWARE SPINNER Microsoft has put out a statement that tried to justify the existence of Silverlight, but ended up saying that HTML5 is better.
The desktop PC software firm said that Silverlight is great for "plug-in based experiences" and for Windows Phone 7, where it said it can deliver "rich capabilities", but highlighted the Windows only video format's limited uses and called Silverlight's rival HTML5 as "a solution for many scenarios".
Microsoft said it is committed to investing in HTML5, which gets heavy emphasis in Internet Explorer 9, but wanted to answer questions brought to it by the community about how Silverlight fits into the grander scheme of things.
The company launched Silverlight in 2007 as its belated play to monopolise online video delivery and an answer to Adobe's Flash, an application that is widely used all across the web and likely to suffer with the growth of HTML5, which many web developers support as having more features, faster loading times and improved security.
Silverlight was intended for use on PCs, but with the sharp growth of the smartphone and tablet markets the company has reevaluated its purpose and appears to be narrowing down Silverlight's target developers to those working on Windows Phone 7, a software system that Microsoft controls.
Microsoft acknowledged that HTML5 effectively leads to a scenario where plug-ins are no longer needed. Therefore the company's emphasis will be on HTML5, but it said ultimately the choice of what platform to use remained with the developer. In effect, it gave up its ambition to dominate online video.
The company will release a beta of Silverlight 5 at the MIX11 event next week in Las Vegas, as it continues to maintain that this is not yet the end for the Microsoft monopoly video format. µ
Tags: Microsoft
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Wow Jim B, that is an opinion of vary narrow perspective. Just because YOU haven't seen it being used anywhere doesn't mean that in fact it isn't. It's use has been growing especially in the enterprise realm where more functionality is needed that HTML5/Javascript doesn't provide and doesn't intend to provide leaving a vacuum. Disgruntled Caveman, Silverlight is very useful for building Enterprise applications, not just phone applications.
Everyone: I started to write more comments but it turned into too much to write so I posted my response to this article here: http://www.solutionbot.com/2011/04/07/more-silverlight-misinformation/
Thank goodness they came to their senses.
It was a piece of crap it wanted to be like Flash. It might've been equal/better than Flash but what was the point it was like a Zune in front of the iPod.
Better to get rid of it than to drain your money on it.
Wise choice MS. Great to see your finally doing what's right & in the best intrest of consumers! Bravo
People, it's hard to believe that anyone listens to Microsoft anymore, especially in light of every freaking failure of the past 20 years. Sure they have Windows and Office, but otherwise they are a failure.
Silverlight was used for nothing, nothing at all, nothing of note, nothing of importance, in no way that competed with anyone in any arena, except...
Except they use it on Netflix, and their own platform.
So please, stop giving them credit where it isn't due.
On top of that Microsoft's Silverlight's main competitor is Adobe Flash, not HTML 5. The reason they phrased it as they did was to make it seem like they had control of the market, and that that market is being cut into by HTML5, when in reality they have no market share for Silverlight and Adobe Flash has everything else.
I agree with Rex, I'm happily developing business applications in Silverlight 4 & WCF. If that changes then so be it.
But thinking that Silverlight vs. HTML5 revolves around video formats is ridiculous, and it's not the first time I've seen articles like this on the inq
The uses for Silverlight keep diminishing.
First, it was supposed to take over the web and be a "Flash killer". Nope. it crashed and burned.
Next, they say it's good for mobile phones, but the only phone that used it, Windows Phone 7, also crashed and burned, as Windows Phone 7 sales are now into terminal decline.
Any Silverlight developers may as well give up now.