Seeing the Silverlight
Microsoft's answer to things like Adobe Flash and Shockwave - Silverlight - has received its first refresh since it was launched a year or so ago.
Silverlight 2 in its beta form has been available for download for a little while now and this seems to be essentially an implementation of all the things Microsoft has learnt about Silverlight since its launch, with an emphasis on being easier for developers to use.
"Silverlight represents a radical improvement in the way developers and designers build applications on the Web," said Scott Guthrie, VP of the .NET developer division at Microsoft. "This release will further accelerate our efforts to make Silverlight, Visual Studio and Microsoft Expression Studio the preeminent solutions for the creation and delivery of media and rich Internet application experiences."
Here's what Microsoft reckons is so good about Silverlight 2:
- .NET Framework support with a rich base class library. This is a compatible subset of the full .NET Framework.
- Powerful built-in controls. These include DataGrid, ListBox, Slider, ScrollViewer, Calendar controls and more.
- Advanced skinning and templating support. This makes it easy to customize the look and feel of an application.
- Deep zoom. This enables unparalleled interactivity and navigation of ultrahigh resolution imagery.
- Comprehensive networking support. Out-of-the-box support allows calling REST, WS*/SOAP, POX, RSS and standard HTTP services, enabling users to create applications that easily integrate with existing back-end systems.
- Expanded .NET Framework language support. Unlike other runtimes, Silverlight 2 supports a variety of programming languages, including Visual Basic, C#, JavaScript, IronPython and IronRuby, making it easier for developers already familiar with one of these languages to repurpose their existing skill sets.
- Advanced content protection. This now includes Silverlight DRM, powered by PlayReady, offering robust content protection for connected Silverlight experiences.
- Improved server scalability and expanded advertiser support. This includes new streaming and progressive download capabilities, superior search engine optimization techniques, and next-generation in-stream advertising support.
- Vibrant partner ecosystem. Visual Studio Industry Partners such as ComponentOne LLC, Infragistics Inc. and Telerik Inc. are providing products that further enhance developer capabilities when creating Silverlight applications using Visual Studio.
- Cross-platform and cross-browser support. This includes support for Mac, Windows and Linux in Firefox, Safari and Windows Internet Explorer.
