Microsoft Silverlight Challenges Adobe AIR

Microsoft Silverlight 3 is catching up to the capabilities of Adobe Flash, Flex, and AIR in all the areas where Silverlight was behind. Silverlight 3 applications can run in or out of the browser, online or offline, with much improved audio, video, and 3-D graphics.
##CONTINUE##
Recently I've been hearing from Adobe on a regular basis about adoptions of the Adobe Flash Platform by large media organizations, such as Clear Channel Radio and MLB.com, for streaming media content to the Web both live and on demand. I've been hearing rather less from Microsoft about Silverlight adoptions.

I think that part of the reason is that Adobe leapfrogged Microsoft last winter in the area of media support, particularly H.264/Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) audio and full HD video playback. These and many other capabilities are included in Silverlight 3, which is currently in a beta that does not include a "go live" license, but will most likely be released in July.

Another area where Flash and Flex were ahead of Silverlight is Windows and Macintosh desktop operation. A number of desktop Flex/AIR applications have become popular, especially Twitter clients; examples include TweetDeck, Twhirl, DestroyTwitter, and Seesmic Desktop. (Let's ignore the memory leak issues they all have in common for the moment.)

Out of the browser

Silverlight 2 didn't have a viable way to run on a desktop; the best a developer could do along those lines was to build a desktop WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) application based loosely on a corresponding Silverlight RIA (rich Internet application). Silverlight 3 addresses those issues very nicely, with easy ways to install Silverlight applications on a desktop, update them in place, detect Internet connectivity state changes, and store information locally and securely.

What else was wrong with Silverlight 2? From a developer's point of view, no single tool covered all needs; Expression Blend 2 did graphical XAML design but couldn't edit code, and Visual Studio 2008 did code editing and XAML editing and preview, but couldn't do graphical XAML design. That will be fixed in Expression Blend 3 and Visual Studio 2010, both of which have solid betas. For designers, the Expression Blend 3 Preview already imports Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files, another lack in Blend 2, and will add "SketchFlow" prototyping and interactive behaviors in a future release.

In addition, Silverlight 2 lacked 3-D graphics, pixel shader effects, writing to bitmaps, animation effects, themes, decent data binding, and a reasonable assortment of controls. Those deficiencies are all fixed in Silverlight 3.

Rich and obscure

One problem area that Flash and Silverlight have had in common is SEO (search engine optimization). A search engine such as Google can only see the text on a Web page; RIA applications historically have not displayed usable text or allowed external links to states "deep" inside the animation, concentrating instead on their forte -- flashy graphics. Recently there's been some improvement in SEO for Flash and Flex, using external JavaScript objects such as SWFObject (for dynamic loading) and SWFAddress (for deep linking), at least for those who to take the trouble to revamp their Flash sites; Silverlight 3 addresses both SEO and deep linking internally.

Silverlight has long been strong on execution speed and language support. Both of those are getting better still in version 3.

I do not expect many Adobe shops to give up their Flash, Flex, and AIR for Silverlight 3. I do expect many Microsoft shops to do more RIAs with Silverlight now that it's more capable and to create lightweight browser/desktop Silverlight 3 applications where they might have fashioned heavier-weight Windows Forms or WPF client applications. Some mixed but Microsoft-oriented shops might phase out their Adobe work in favor of Silverlight on integration grounds, but some won't. Meanwhile, the next generation of streaming media adoptions are likely to be closely contested, now that the two technologies are near parity.

Of course, in a few months everything will change again. Stay tuned.

Microsoft Silverlight 3 beta

Pros Silverlight 3 applications can run in or out of the browser, online or offline. Much improved audio and HD video support. 3-D graphics and pixel shading effects. Many more controls, with enhanced data support. Expression Blend can import Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files.

Cons No go-live license for the beta; need to wait for release, probably in July.

Cost Free

Platforms Development: Windows XP SP2 or later with Visual Studio 2008 SP1 or Visual Web Developer Express 2008 SP1. Runtime: Windows XP SP2 or later, or Intel-based Mac OS X.

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BY Martin Heller, InfoWorld
Source：PCWorld

© 1998-2009, PC World Communications, Inc.

Microsoft Silverlight Catching Up To Adobe Flash

Microsoft (MSFT) has been building out its Silverlight Web video/animation software with some success: While companies like Netflix (NFLX), CBS, and NBC have used it for big projects, it's still far behind Adobe's (ADBE) Flash in adoption and usage.
##CONTINUE##
But that doesn't mean Microsoft can't catch up: The latest version of Silverlight "promises to put Microsoft's player on a nearly level playing field with Adobe's Flash framework," according to The Register's Scott Gilbertson. In a lengthy review, he says Microsoft is catching up feature-wise, but still lacks some of the elegance of Adobe's Flash tools.

That's solid progress for Microsoft, but that's probably not good enough for companies and designers -- who have many years of Flash experience -- to ditch it for all but the most specialized projects.

Microsoft has been able to get companies like NBC to use Silverlight for one-time projects like the Olympics by funding them. (Likewise, Microsoft has a special relationship with Netflix; the DVD rental service's founder and CEO Reed Hastings sits on Microsoft's board.)

But the true sign of success will be everyday Web video sites and large advertisers -- who still value Flash's install base and familiarity more than anything Microsoft provides -- switching to Silverlight from Flash. We don't see that happening soon.

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BY Dan Frommer
Source：The Business Insider

Copyright © 2009 The Business Insider, Inc. All rights reserved.

Silverlight-to-Linux Moonlight 2.0 preview ready for testers

Three months after releasing the final 1.0 version of its Silverlight-to-Linux port, the Moonlight team has posted a downloadable preview version of their 2.0 release.
##CONTINUE##
Novell Developer Platform Vice President and Mono Founder Miguel de Icaza blogged about availability of the Moonlight 2.0 preview on May 4:

“This is really the release I have been looking for since Microsoft first introduced Silverlight 1.1 and ever since our 21-day hack-a-thon to bring Silverlight to Linux.

“This is the ECMA VM running inside the browser and powering C# and any other CIL-compatible languages like Ruby, Python, Boo and others. You can use Moonlight/Silverlight as a GUI (this is what most folks do) or you can use it as the engine to power your Python/Ruby scripting in the browser.”

Moonlight team lead Chris Toshok blogged that the steps leading up to the first 2.0 test build haven’t been easy:

“We’ve had innumerable hurdles (in the form of technical, legal, and process hiccups) to pass to get to this point. But now that we’ve finally ironed out the big issues, previews should start flowing along weekly on our way to the 2.0 release.”

Microsoft, for its part, already has released a beta of Silverlight 3.0. Toshok said that the differences between Silverlight 2.0 and 3.0 “are much, much smaller than the differences between 1.0 and 2.0.” He noted that the Moonlight team has been able to add support for some of Silverlight’s planned 3.0 features to the Moonlight 2.0 preview, including:

• Easing functions for animations, including user-supplied ones.
• SaveFileDialog, a safe way to allow users to save content from Silverlight applications
• MultiScaleImage (the heart of Deep zoom) API additions
• MediaStreamSource now supports PCM audio data, RGBA and YV12 video data. “This along with other extensions makes it very easy to write codecs entirely in managed code, that you can then distribute with your xap,” Toshok said.
• WriteableBitmap

Silverlight 3.0 is slated to ship before the end of calendar 2009. I’m not sure when Moonlight 2.0 — and the inevitable follow-on, Moonlight 3.0 — are slated for release.

-----------------------------
BY Mary-Jo Foley
Source：ZDNet

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 20 years. Don't miss a single post. Subscribe via Email or RSS.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.

Microsoft extends RIA push with Silverlight 3 beta

Microsoft Corp. released the beta version of its Rich-Internet Application (RIA) development tool Silverlight 3.0, and previewed its user interface design tool Expression Blend 3, both equipped with new functionality for developers and designers to create ever-more interactive sites, according to one executive.
##CONTINUE##
"Silverlight has been a really important investment for us, and we're continuing that investment with Silverlight 3.0," said Daniel Shapiro, product manager with Microsoft Canada Inc.

The announcements, made at the Redmond, Wash.-based Web technologies conference MIX09 in Las Vegas, extend Microsoft's vision of software+services, or the idea that the interaction of software and Web services renders greater flexibility and capabilities.

Customers have come to depend on delivering great experiences to the desktop, said Shapiro. "Software+services is all about taking the power of devices and the power of the desktop and combining it with the ubiquity and the flexibility of the Web," he said.

Among the new capabilities in the beta version of Silverlight 3.0, is support of out-of-browser scenarios so developers can build Silverlight applications "and drop them onto the desktop and run it just as they would another application without requiring the browser," said Shapiro.

It's just another example, he continued, "of how the lines are being blurred inside the outside of the browser but still taking advantage of the power of the desktop and the power of the internet."

There is also deep linking and searching/indexing capabilities that developers can build into their RIAs, so that search engines can link to specific content on those sites.

In Expression Blend 3, the sketchflow capability allows designers to visualize a design from as early as the pre-prototyping stage to deployment stage, basically having the ability "to draw a basic frame all the way to functional animation," said Shapiro. Developers and designers can also import existing assets from non-Microsoft tools, like Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator, "even at the layer by layer level."

Microsoft also announced new features, as a result of feedback, to Windows Azure, its "OS in the cloud" announced last October and still in community technology preview. Features include support for FastCGI enabling support for PHP and Ruby; and, support for geolocation so developers can choose the data centre from which their applications will run.

Among Canadian customers using Silverlight is Toronto-based CTV Inc., which revealed a beta version of an HD online player that will be live during this summer and will stream popular television shows like Flashpoint and Corner Gas, making CTV the first Canadian network to offer HD online. The idea is to allow viewers to "play catch up" on their television watching, said Stephan Argent, CTV's vice-president of digital media.

The HD online player runs on Silverlight technology, and Cambridge, Mass.-based Akamai Technologies Inc.'s content delivery network. It's designed to run on four different bandwidths and, depending on the viewer's connection capacity, can roll up or down seamlessly. "User experience is our business, we want to make it the best user experience it can be," said Argent.

Another customer of Microsoft's RIA platform, Innovapost Inc., Ottawa-based IT provider to Canada Post Corp., built a desktop application for postal outlets housed within Shoppers Drug Mart and Hallmark stores. The "crisp and uncluttered screens" have centralized functionality and are tailored to reflect the typical communication flow between customer and clerk, said Tracy Alburger, Innovapost's director of customer channel technology delivery. Innovapost has begun to deploy the consoles, which will eventually be part of all 7,000 Canada Post outlets nationally.

Developers and designers were able to work "in parallel streams" using Visual Studio 2008 and Expression Blend, respectively, to deliver the site in just nine months "which could usually take two years if we do it sequentially," said Alburger.

Another customer, Workopolis.com, built Web Slice, a browser application running on Internet Explorer 8 that went live just this past Sunday, allowing job seekers to create real-time customized job search with updates of pertinent openings. "IE8 gives us a lot of cool abilities to stitch Workopolis in the fabric of the Web," said Roy Bernhard, Workopolis' managing director of information systems.

"There is no doubt that today's job landscape is changing, and has changed in the last few months," said Bernhard, adding that Web Slice is geared toward the lay and technically-advanced job seekers. There are plans, he said, for a Web Slice geared towards employers.

-----------------------------
BY Kathleen Lau
Source：Computerworld Canada

Copyright © 1994 - 2009 Network World, Inc. All rights reserved.

An overview of the Silverlight 3 Beta

Just in case you missed our live blogging of the MIX09 keynote, we've got a full list of new features that are in the Silverlight 3 beta. You can now download the Silverlight 3 beta directly off the Silverlight website. And for all you Mac users out there, there is even a version for you.
##CONTINUE##
Fully supported by Visual Studio and Expression Blend, highlights of new features and functionality of Silverlight 3 include: major media enhancements, out of browser support allowing Web applications to work on the desktop; significant graphics improvements including 3D graphics support, GPU acceleration and H.264 video support; and many features to improve RIA development productivity.

Also, in order to fully integrate all the .NET developer tools, Visual Studio 2008, Visual Studio 2010 and Visual Web Developer Express will support a fully editable and interactive designer for Silverlight. New features in Silverlight 3 include:

• Support for Higher Quality Video & Audio. With support for native H.264/Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) Audio, live and on-demand IIS7 Smooth Streaming, full HD (720p+) playback, and an extensible decoder pipeline, Silverlight 3 brings rich, full-screen, stutter-free media experiences to the desktop. New and enhanced media features in Silverlight 3 include:
  
  • Live and on-demand true HD (720p+) Smooth Streaming. IIS Media Services (formerly IIS Media Pack), an integrated HTTP media delivery platform, features Smooth Streaming which dynamically detects and seamlessly switches, in real time, the video quality of a media file delivered to Silverlight based on local bandwidth and CPU conditions.
  • More format choice. In addition to native support for VC-1/WMA, Silverlight 3 now offers users native support for MPEG-4-based H.264/AAC Audio, enabling content distributors to deliver high-quality content to a wide variety of computers and devices.
  • True HD playback in full-screen. Leveraging graphics processor unit (GPU) hardware acceleration, Silverlight experiences can now be delivered in true full-screen HD (720p+).
  • Extensible media format support. With the new Raw AV pipeline, Silverlight can easily support a wide variety of third-party codecs. Audio and video can be decoded outside the runtime and rendered in Silverlight, extending format support beyond the native codecs.
  • Industry leading content protection. Silverlight DRM, Powered by PlayReady Content Protection enables protected in-browser experiences using AES encryption or Windows Media DRM.

• Empowering Richer Experiences. Silverlight 3 contains new 3D graphics, animation features, hardware accelerated effects and text improvements that enable designers and developers to create next generation Web visuals. Additional features include:
  
  • Perspective 3D Graphics. Silverlight 3 allows developers and designers to apply content to a 3D plane. Users can rotate or scale live content in space without writing any additional code. Other effects include creating a queue in 3D and transitions.
    
  • Pixel Shader effects. These software based effects include blur and drop shadow. In addition, you can also write your own effect. Effects can be applied to any graphical content. An example would be to make a button appear depressed on rollover you could use a drop shadow effect on the pressed visual state.
  • Bitmap Caching. Silverlight 3 dramatically improves the rendering performance of applications by allowing users to cache vector content, text and controls into bitmaps. This feature is useful for background content and for content which needs to scale without making changes to its internal appearance.
  • New Bitmap API. With Silverlight 3, developers can now write pixels to a bitmap. Thus, they can build a photo editor to do red eye correction, perform edits on scanned documents or create specials effects for cached bitmaps from elements on the screen.
  • Themed application support. Developers can now theme applications by applying styles to their Silverlight 3 applications and changing them at runtime. Additionally, developers can cascade styles by basing them on each other.
  • Animation Effects. Silverlight 3 provides new effects such as spring and bounce. These make animation more natural. Developers can also now develop their own mathematical functions to describe an animation.
  • Enhanced control skinning. Silverlight 3 provides easier skinning capabilities by keeping a common set of controls external from an application. This allows the sharing of styles and control skins between different applications.
  • Improved text rendering & font support. Silverlight 3 allows far more efficient rendering and rapid animation of text. Applications also load faster by enabling the use of local fonts.

• Improving Rich Internet Application Productivity. New features include:
  
  • 60+ controls with source code : Silverlight 3 is packed with over 60 high-quality, fully skinnable and customizable out-of-the-box controls such as charting and media, new layout containers such as dock and viewbox, and controls such as autocomplete, treeview and datagrid. The controls come with nine professional designed themes and the source code can be modified/recompiled or utilized as-is. Other additions include multiple selection in listbox controls, file save dialog making it easier to write files, and support for multiple page applications with navigation.
  • Deep Linking. Silverlight 3 includes support for deep linking, which enables bookmarking a page within a RIA.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Silverlight 3 enables users to solve the SEO-related challenges posed by RIAs. By utilizing business objects on the server, together with ASP.NET controls and site maps, users can automatically mirror database-driven RIA content into HTML that is easily indexed by the leading search engines.
  • Enhanced Data Support Silverlight 3 delivers:
    
    • Element to Element binding : UI designers use binding between two UI properties to create compelling UI experiences. Silverlight now enables property binding to CLR objects and other UI components via XAML, for instance binding a slider value to the volume control of a media player.
    • Data Forms. The Data Form control provides support for layout of fields, validation, updating and paging through data.
    • New features for data validation which automatically catch incorrect input and warn the user with built-in validation controls.
    • Support for business objects on both client and server with n-Tier data support. Easily load, sort, filter and page data with added support for working with data. Includes a new built-in CollectionView to perform a set of complex operations against server side data. A new set of .NET RIA services supports these features on the server.
    
    
  • Improved performance, through:
    
    • Application library caching, which reduces the size of applications by caching framework on the client in order to improve rendering performance.
    • Enhanced Deep Zoom, allows users to fluidly navigate through larger image collections by zooming.
    • Binary XML allows communication with the server to be compressed, greatly increasing the speed at which data can be exchanged.
    • Local Connection This feature allows communication between two Silverlight applications on the client-side without incurring a server roundtrip: for instance a chart in one control can communicate with a datagrid in another.
• Advanced Accessibility Features. Silverlight 3 is the first browser plug-in to provide access to all system colors, allowing partially-sighted people to make changes such as high contrast color schemes for ease of readability by using familiar operating system controls.
• Out of Browser Capabilities. The new out of browser experience in Silverlight 3 enables users to place their favorite Silverlight applications directly onto their PC and Mac, with links on the desktop and start menu—all without the need to download an additional runtime or browser plug-in. Further, the new experience enables Silverlight applications to work whether the computer is connected to the Internet or not—a radical improvement to the traditional Web experience. Features include:
  
  • Life outside the browser. Silverlight applications can now be installed to and run from the desktop as lightweight web companions. Thus, users can take their favorite Web applications with them, regardless of whether they are connected to the Internet or not.
  • Desktop shortcuts and start menu support. Silverlight applications can be stored on any PC or Mac computer's desktop with links in the start menu and applications folder, and so are available with one-click access.
  • Safe and secure. Leveraging the security features of the .NET Framework, Silverlight applications run inside a secure sandbox with persistent isolated storage. These applications have most of the same security restrictions as traditional web apps and so can be trusted without security warnings or prompts, minimizing user interruptions.
  • Smooth installation. Because Silverlight applications are stored in a local cache and do not require extra privileges to run, the installation process is quick and efficient.
  • Auto-update. Upon launch, Silverlight applications can check for new versions on the server, and automatically update if one is found.
  • Internet connectivity detection. Silverlight applications can now detect whether they have Internet connectivity and can react intelligently including caching a users' data until their connection is restored.

There have also been major updates in the Expression Blend 3 beta that included a ton of new Silverlight features. While we won't go too in depth about those in this post, the major features include: SketchFlow, a rapid prototyping capability that makes it easy to communicate design intent to stakeholders; design time sample data that enables the design and testing of applications without access to live data; direct import of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files; behaviors, extensible and reusable components that add interactivity to applications without writing code; a full code editor supporting C#, VB and XAML; and many more features that support an improved design and development experience.

Overall this is a major milestone for Silverlight, and with a release this summer we're going to see some awesome new web technologies come out. With that in mind, if you payed attention to today's keynote a preview of what Silverlight 3 is going to be able to offer is going to be released tonight. However before we even get into that, please note: The following preview is intended for users 18 and older and has graphic content. Neowin cannot be responsible cannot be responsible for minors viewing the following content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Playboy, a world-wide pornographic magazine, is launching its online archive of 53 classic issues of its magazine. The website will be launched using Silverlight 3 and a technology called Deep Zoom. During the keynote no exact time was announced in which the site will go live, we can only tell you it will be sometime tonight. It's not usual for Neowin to promote such websites, but we feel it is important to note this because it will show you the beauty of Microsoft's new Silverlight 3 technology. The website will be found here (Yes, it's currently in flash. How ironic.).

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BY Sean Bradford
Source：neowin.net

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Download Silverlight 3 Beta

Silverlight has moved up to the next step in its evolution. As the company's Internet-centric MIX09 conference debuts in Las Vegas at the time of this article, the first taste of Silverlight 3 is available for download. Silverlight 3 is offered in Beta development stage and is designed to deliver a number of enhancements over its precursor, Silverlight 2, introduced in 2008. At the same time, the software giant applauded strong numbers for the adoption of Silverlight, as the technology is but six months away from its first two years on the market.
##CONTINUE##
“In the short time since we launched Silverlight and Expression Blend, Microsoft has rapidly introduced new features and functionality that enable customers to deliver outstanding Web sites,” revealed Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Platform at Microsoft. “We are working closely with the community to deliver software that helps businesses provide customer experiences on the Web that go beyond ‘good enough’ and drive real business results.”

According to Microsoft, Silverlight 3 Beta introduces hardware-based graphics acceleration (GPU hardware acceleration), but the enhancements by no means end here. Silverlight 3 also brings to the table new codecs, including H.264. No less than 18 months have passed since Microsoft first unveiled Silverlight. In that time, the software giant accounted for in excess of 350 million installations of Silverlight. Guthrie revealed that there are now 10,000 websites that use it.

“Netflix chose Silverlight because it makes a faster and more agile development environment possible, allowing Netflix to quickly deliver a superior instant watching experience to our subscribers,” added Steve Swasey, vice president of corporate communications at Netflix. “When Netflix deployed Silverlight last fall, Netflix members realized a richer experience of access and quality to instantly watch movies and TV episodes from Netflix on their PCs and, for the first time, were able to instantly watch the same content on their Intel-based Macintosh computers.”

Silverlight 3 Beta 3 is available for download here.

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BY Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor
Source：SOFTPEDIA

© 2001 - 2009 Softpedia. All rights reserved.
Softpedia™ and the Softpedia™ logo are registered trademarks of SoftNews NET SRL.

Microsoft to highlight Silverlight 3 technology

Mix09 conference features developer and designer offerings from software giant

Microsoft will tout at the Mix09 conference in Las Vegas this week its planned Silverlight 3 rich Internet application technology along with a host of other developer-related offerings, according to the conference Web site.
##CONTINUE##
Other efforts to be pondered at the conference include the planned Visual Studio 2010 IDE, the Azure Services Platform for cloud computing and Expression Web, for building Web sites.

Mix09, which begins on Tuesday, is billed as an event for developers and designers, with an emphasis on Web development and design skills. While Microsoft representatives declined to comment on specific announcements planned for the event, an industry analyst focused on Microsoft said he anticipates news about Silverlight 3 as well as other developments from the company.

"Mainly, I'm looking for Silverlight 3 and Expression 3 announcements. I think that's going to be the highlight," said analyst Rob Sanfilippo, research vice president for developer platforms at Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm.

Other possibilities at the event include release of bits for Internet Explorer 8 and a licensing plan for Azure Services Platform, Sanfilippo said.

Microsoft debuted Silverlight in April 2007; the current version is Silverlight 2. With Silverlight, the company is showing it is serious about the rich Internet application market, said Sanfilippo. "They're not just dabbling in it. They're here to stay," he said in an interview on Monday.

In a session entitled "What's New in Microsoft Silverlight 3," Microsoft will ponder "experience-oriented" features, such as pixel shaders, perspective 3D, animation enhancements, bitmap APIs, and media stack improvements. Also, Silverlight base framework additions will be covered, including updates to the style model, data binding improvements, improved resource handling, and Web services stack improvement.

Silverlight 3 is to include major media enhancements, such as H.264 video support as well as GPU hardware acceleration, said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president in the Microsoft .Net Developer Division, in a November 2008 blog post. Guthrie, who will be a keynote speaker at Mix09 on Wednesday, also stated Silverlight 3 would be out this year and feature such application development improvements as richer data-binding and additional controls. Silverlight 3 will be a major release of the technology, according to the blog.

Another Mix09 session will cover high-speed rich Internet application development with the Silverlight Toolkit. Use of the IronRuby dynamic language to build Silverlight applications will be discussed as well.

Visual Studio 2010, the planned upgrade to the platform, will be the subject of a conference session pertaining to Web development. The platform will enable "frictionless" transfers of Web projects and databases from machine to machine, code-focused editing, and "next-generation" JavaScript editing and navigation tools.

A session covering the planned Windows 7 desktop experience, including a new task bar, is being featured at the event.

Productivity enhancements in Microsoft's planned ASP.Net 4.0 platform will be pondered also. ASP.Net is Microsoft's Web site development platform. The conference also will cover building of Microsoft platform applications using Eclipse, Ruby and PHP.

The Oomph toolkit for Microformats is on the Mix09 agenda. Microformats are data format standards for exchanging data on the Web. Microsoft Web Platform, which features a Web application framework and tools and servers, will be touted as well.

One development that had been anticipated but will not happen at the event is release of a binary preview of Moonlight 2.0, for running Silverlight 2.0 on Linux systems. Builders still are working on the software's security system that "sand-boxes" applications to keep them within the browser, said Miguel de Icaza, vice president of the developer platform at Novell and the developer in charge of Moonlight.

"We don't feel that we should release this to the public until the system is secured," de Icaza said on Monday. A formal beta program for Moonlight 2.0 is expected this summer, with the general release eyed for September or October.

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BY Paul Krill
Source：InfoWorld

Paul Krill is an editor at large at InfoWorld, specializing in news and features related to application development, Java, and .Net. He can be reached at paul_krill@infoworld.com.

© 1994 - 2009, InfoWorld Inc., Reprints, Permissions, Licensing, IDG Network, Privacy Policy,Terms of Service.
All Rights reserved. InfoWorld is a leading publisher of technology information and product reviews on topics including viruses,
phishing, worms, firewalls, security, servers, storage, networking, wireless, databases, and web services.

New toolkit makes Eclipse into a Silverlight IDE

The graphic library's next exercise in cross-platform deployment will take it beyond the need for Microsoft's IDEs.
##CONTINUE##
When Microsoft first introduced Silverlight a few years ago, it was with the stated promise of becoming a truly cross-platform development system for graphic interactivity and video. The full extent of that promise is still being delivered, in ways that many at the time hadn't really anticipated. The latest such crossover was previewed yesterday: a release candidate for an open source development toolset for the Eclipse development environment -- which itself is available in free and commercial versions -- that enables programmers to build applications that use Silverlight front-ends without having to rely on Visual Studio or Expression Studio.

Up to now, Silverlight has been considered a UI toolset that's made to be developed using Visual Studio. Now, Eclipse4SL from Soyatec -- a company that has received funding from Microsoft for this project -- gives developers tools for creating and deploying Silverlight panels, including the accompanying C# functionality and XAML interface code, that are very similar to their counterparts in Microsoft's commercial Visual Studio versions. All this in an environment that's better known as the IDE of choice among Java and JavaScript developers.

"Soyatec's Eclipse4SL is a plug-in that works with the Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) to enable both Silverlight development and better interoperability between Silverlight and existing Java investments in Web sites and Web services," Microsoft Senior Vice President S. Somasegar posted last Friday to his blog. "Soyatec is releasing Eclipse4SL under the Eclipse Public License Version 1.0 on SourceForge, and has submitted it to the Eclipse Foundation as an open Eclipse project."

It's not exactly the same as making Silverlight answerable to Java -- though Eclipse developers will appreciate staying inside their home base, they'll still have to learn C#, at least to make Silverlight 2.0 apps (Silverlight 1.0 apps only rely upon JavaScript). And they'll need to learn to at least understand and interpret XAML, the XML-based language Microsoft created for laying out controls on panels and attaching code to their events.

But for those Eclipse developers who rely on Java Web services, they'll be delighted to learn that Eclipse4SL makes Silverlight apps play by the rules of REST. As long as existing Web services appropriately bind application and resource classes to URIs that correctly map to hosts, Eclipse4SL can enable Web applications that place calls in the standard format for "restlet" Web services, using Silverlight for their front end.

Eclipse4SL is fully documented online, and Soyatec's schedule for final release remains on schedule for later this spring.

-----------------------------
BY Scott M. Fulton, III
Source：betanews

© 1998-2009 Betanews, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Netflix stands behind Microsoft Silverlight

Netflix is trying to locate the source of a series of glitches experienced by users of the company's streaming service. Many of the users blame Microsoft's Silverlight video player.
##CONTINUE##
Over the weekend, a steady stream of angry messages was posted to Netflix's blog from users of the company's streaming movie service. The complaints range from choppy video, to audio that doesn't sync with the picture, to grainy image quality.

A review of Netflix's blog shows that the nearly 600 complaints began soon after the Web's largest video-rental service switched over to Microsoft's Silverlight in November. The problems appear to have trickled in until last weekend, when a score of customers began reporting problems.

"The quality of the video looks like bad VHS," wrote someone on the Netflix who identified themselves as Steve-O. "I use an Acer Netbook over my home network and the quality is poor. Also, I cannot even see the button to make the video full screen (using Acer One Netbook with Firefox browser). However, I imagine this will make the quality even worse. What a disaster."

Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey said the company has been unable to pinpoint the cause of the malfunctions, adding that only a small percentage of customers have complained. He said the company takes the complaints seriously and was working on finding the source of the issues.

Swasey defended Silverlight. He said the company has received mostly kudos from customers after switching to the software last fall. A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment.

"The new player is far better," Swasey said. "It's faster, more reliable and provides greater stability. The vast majority of Netflix members have had a great experience."

The other major complaint from the Netflix customers who posted to the company blog this weekend is that it wasn't made clear that once they swapped to the new player that there was no way to opt out.

"I certainly feel that Netflix was not forthright in getting me to 'upgrade' to the new viewer (Silverlight)," said someone who posted under the name Jerry. "I don't have a beef with Microsoft. I'll support most technologies that work appropriately--and that is where we have come to a problem. The new viewer simply does not work well enough."

Silverlight has received mixed reviews in the past year. NBC chose Silverlight to stream video of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the company won some favorable reviews. For the games' opening ceremony, Silverlight helped deliver more than 70 million page views in one evening.

But NBC went back to using Flash after the conclusion of the games. Another setback for Microsoft came when Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the group that streams baseball games over the Web, decided to drop Silverlight.

-----------------------------
BY Greg Sandoval
Source：cnet

©2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.

Microsoft team hacks Silverlight for Chrome

The prospect of Silverlight applications running in Google's Chrome browser is in the air.
##CONTINUE##
A Sliverlight program manager has blogged about a hack to Microsoft's code that would get their company's media player running inside Google's fledgling browser. The hack to Silverlight lets Microsoft's player detect Chrome, clearing the way to playing audio and video.

What happens next is not guaranteed.

One commenter responded saying Silverlight apps will only render in Chrome for the first few frames and wouldn't react to user inputs.

Another claimed Silverlight would work "just fine" in Chrome if you start in single-process mode, noting the issues are "very likely" the fault of Chrome rather than Silverlight. The problem could be caused by the fact Chrome loads plug-ins out of process.

Silverlight program manager Tim Heuer reminded people this is early code and Chrome is not officially supported by Silverlight. Those honors go to Firefox and Internet Explorer.

"We continue to evaluate the browser support matrix for Silverlight and before you ask - no decisions have been made just yet to change the current supported matrix," Heuer blogged.

The hack itself consists of three lines added to Silverlight.supportedUserAgent.js, which is used to check for browser compatibility and that means Chrome can be recognized by Silverlight. The hack to Microsoft's code is possible - even encouraged - because Silverlight.supportedUserAgent.js has been released under Microsoft's OSI-approved Permissive License (Ms-PL)

"Since the detection scripts are Ms-PL licensed, you're welcome to change them to fit your needs," Heuer wrote.

While the work is early - and Chrome is not officially supported - this does show what's possible. The Novell-backed Moonlight project started life because Microsoft dragged its feet over Silverlight on Linux, saying it would target platforms as resources allowed. Moonlight hit its first full release last week and was warmly welcomed by Microsoft.

The Silverlight hack for Chrome - in addition to Moonlight - demonstrate the only limitation to these projects are the willingness of corporations to commit time and resources to making their software run in rivals' runtimes as first-class citizens.

-----------------------------
BY Gavin Clarke
Source：The Register

© Copyright 1998–2009.

Moonlight brings Silverlight to Linux

Linux users get access to most Silverlight-powered sites with open source alternative.
##CONTINUE##
The Novell-backed Mono project yesterday formally announced the release of Moonlight, an open source version of Microsoft's Silverlight rich media technology.

Silverlight, Microsoft's equivalent of Flash for playing rich media over the Intenernet, is still in the early stages of its development and is still a long way off making a dent in Adobe's Flash uptake.

One of Silverlight's downfalls to date has been that there isn't a Linux implementation of the software - at least not from Microsoft. Moonlight is that implementation for Linux, built by open source project Mono.

Moonlight was undertaken by Novell as part of an agreement with Microsoft and with the support of Microsoft.

The release announced yesterday was Moonlight 1.0 which is compatible with Silverlight 1.0-enabled sites and is downloadable as a Firefox plugin. Moonlight 1.0 runs on most popular Linux desktops including SuSE, Red Hat and Ubuntu.

The one drawback with Moonlight, however, is that it's development process is well behind that of Microsoft - Silverlight 2.0 is already available - which means that many sites that are Silverlight 2.0-enabled are still innacessible to Linux users. The Mono team is already working on Moonlight 2.0 and rudimentary versions are available.

Microsoft has been campaigning hard to get Silverlight into the mainstream among computer users and to date the technology has been used by major networks covering the Olympic Games and streaming President Obama's inauguration.

-----------------------------
BY Alastair Otter
Source：MyBroadband

Adobe: Microsoft's Silverlight 'has really fizzled'

Addressing attendees at a tech-and-telecom conference on Tuesday, Adobe EVP and CFO Mark Garrett spoke of the challenges ahead. Microsoft's software doesn't appear to be one of them.
##CONTINUE##
Speaking at a fireside-chat style event at Thomas Weisel Partners Technology & Telecom Conference 2009, Garrett noted that "if you set the economy aside, there are a lot of tailwinds" acting to boost Adobe's reach online. Those tailwinds are coming from many sources, including the warm front centered around the fever for online video (the company estimates that four-fifths of all video online plays through its software) and the hard, cold drive to digitize information stored in printed media.

There's plenty to do, and Adobe says it's the company doing it.

What about Microsoft, asked an audience member, which launched Silverlight two years ago in April? Silverlight launched strong, said Garrett, but the push to adoption "has really fizzled out in the last 6-9 months, I'd say...We're innovating ahead of them, and they have not been able to catch up." Garrett suggested that Microsoft simply didn't have the mindset required to put forth Silverlight aggressively.

Adobe's own AIR platform, on the other hand, does not suffer from lack of corporate effort, which has passed the 100-million-downloads milestone. "We're starting to get that ubiquity" for the cross-platform software, Garrett said, chuckling when an audience member asked at what download milestone things "start to get interesting."

We have all, of course, had a surfeit of "interesting" for the past few months. Though he declined to provide an earnings call-type breakdown of current numbers, Garrett acknowledged that the economy's wearing on everyone's nerves. For instance, "the timing was tough" on the launch of the company's latest version of Creative Suite, which launched in the second half of September just as the economy tipped over.

The company's making adjustments, and Garrett touched on a few options that Adobe could pursue "if things got worse" or the expected turnaround is slow to arrive. One of the least appealing, he said, would be a corporate restructuring of the sort so firms have pursued; companies can go to that well too often.

"I don't want to get into a mode of restructuring every six months," Garrett said, adding that such shakeups demoralize staffs and distract from longer-term goals.

-----------------------------
BY Angela Gunn
Source：betanews

© 1998-2009 Betanews, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

6 factors that will decide the fate of Silverlight

Since the public release of its earliest version last year, Silverlight has been touted as Microsoft Corp.'s Flash killer. This relatively new Web development platform aims to challenge Adobe's venerable Flash (and associated Flex development tools) in the online multimedia space.
##CONTINUE##
Its first version was a little rough, experts say, but the beta of Silverlight 2 (released in March) shows that Microsoft could indeed have a shot at challenging Adobe Systems Inc.'s hugely popular Web media platform. But adoption of Silverlight by developers or end users has yet to take off. Realistically, it's going to take more than Silverlight being able to overcome, or to simply match, the technology of Flash, according to many observers.

So I consulted industry analysts and a professional Web developer familiar with both platforms for their views on what elements are affecting Silverlight's odds in the rich Internet applications (RIA) development arena as it enters its second year.

1. Microsoft's technology on the Web

First and foremost, Silverlight was devised to bring the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) programming model to Web applications, and with that, the large .Net developer community. Between the Adobe Flash and Microsoft offerings, "it is not a feature war; each platform can tout some advantages. [Silverlight] is mostly about bringing Microsoft's developer ecosystem to the Web," says Al Hilwa, an analyst at market research firm IDC.

"It enables Microsoft's technology stack to have a rich media story for the Web. They didn't before; they do now," says Atlanta-based Jesse Warden, who has been developing professionally in Flash since 1998. "This means they can utilize and interface with a lot of their existing technology," says Warden, who has also started working in Silverlight.

Greg DeMichillie, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, describes Silverlight 1.0 as "a placeholder narrowly focused on video, and not a full platform. The real action begins with the second version."

Currently in beta and set for release sometime later this year, Silverlight 2 is expected to tout more of the kind of "hard-core" graphical user interface programming that Adobe's Flex platform features. It will leverage Microsoft's strongest developer technologies: Visual Studio, C#, and the .Net Framework.

"Visual Studio is 'the shiz,'" says Warden. "I wonder why Flex Builder's Eclipse plug-in doesn't have some awesome Visual Studio feature."

"Silverlight 2 feels like it's going to be a full-on contender with Flash and Flex in a short time. Then the battle will be over ubiquity, developer hearts and minds, and control of the Web," says Michael Cote, an analyst at RedMonk.

2. The enduring appeal of Flash development

Adobe is the clear leader today, but while Flash has improved technically over the years, it is still quirky from the perspective of hard-core development," says Hilwa.

But Flash continues to appeal to most Web designers and animators, despite improvements that are coming to the next version of Silverlight. "Version 1 of Silverlight was OK. Version 2 is definitely hot, especially when compared to where Flash Player 9 is at," says Warden. "Regardless, I'll currently stick to Flex and Flash. It's currently more fun, and there is more money in it."

3. Wider cross-platform support

"I'm always waiting for the .Net CLR [Common Language Runtime] to be a big deal. But without solid cross-platform support on runtime and tools, the CLR's benefits are limited to Windows developers," says Cote. "If there's a good cross-platform and even -- dare I say it? -- open-source [feature] when it comes to runtimes and tools, new developers will be interested as well."

In fact, Warden's advice for Adobe to continue to make its Flex system competitive with Silverlight coincides with Cote's view on what Microsoft should do for future iterations of Silverlight: "Keep the open-source mentality going strong, and keep up with the Linux support.

4. Interest beyond traditional developers

Warden says present demand for Silverlight development in his field is "extremely low." He describes the amount of work a busy developer can get as "one [job] a day for Flash" compared with "one every four months for Silverlight."

"Most work I'm seeing [for Silverlight] is because the company is a Microsoft partner," he says.

Regardless, the analysts see significant interest in developing on the platform, even among those who are not programmers. "Many folks I know in the design community are taking a good look at it," says Hilwa.

DeMichillie is keeping an eye on the possibility of Silverlight making inroads in the enterprise. This could be a market in which Microsoft has an advantage over Adobe.

"The interesting question is when, if ever, will corporations turn to RIA [rich Internet application] technologies for internal applications. Microsoft clearly has a stronger presence among corporate developers. At this point, RIA development is overwhelmingly aimed at public Web sites," says DeMichillie.

5. AJAX, et al.

Silverlight is up against not only Flash, but also other established, and firmly entrenched, Web technologies. "Silverlight is a threat to Flash and Flex for sure. For me, the really interesting competitors are companies like Google and Yahoo who depend on the Web being primarily HTML/AJAX-based to serve up ads and provide other services," Cote says. "A new UI layer that runs on top of the Web could be a real hassle for services that are used to the more 'view source' nature of the Web."

Warden notes that a patched-together mix of Java, HTML and other technologies will pose probably the biggest challenge to Silverlight: "It'll be interesting to see if the .Net crowd does the same thing that Java guys are doing. Most .Net I see on the Web is simple HTML/CSS/JavaScript and AJAX stuff," he said, referring to Asynchronous JavaScript and XML.

6. Co-existence in the market

Because it is installed on over 90% of Internet-connected PCs, Flash will remain the default choice for most Web developers. For now.

"Flash Player is ubiquitous, and every developer takes that for granted. To win, Silverlight needs to have that perception, too," says Warden. "Users do not care what they install; they just care [that] what they are watching is relevant and cool."

He believes Microsoft is very committed to seeing Silverlight succeed, no matter what. "The amount of money, time and talent I'm seeing being thrown at it makes me fail to see how it won't succeed in some fashion," he says.

However, Microsoft will need to convince a high number of users to install Silverlight. DeMichillie estimates that as much as 80% of Internet-connected PCs must have Silverlight installed in order for the platform to hold its own, in the market and among developers, against the status quo of Flash.

"Microsoft knows this is a prerequisite, which is why they are willing to spend money to make high-profile deals, like the one with NBC for Olympics coverage," he says.

DeMichillie foresees Silverlight eventually overcoming the dominance of Flash, but adds: "The market for these platforms is in the very early stages, so it's not a zero-sum game. Even in the longer term, I think coexistence is more likely than 'winner takes all.'"

Even Warden acknowledges that his business plans to do more Silverlight work, though "I don't want to do it because it looks like early [versions of] Flash, and I'm done with that. I want more challenging Flex work instead."

-----------------------------
BY Howard Wen
Source：COMPUTERWORLD

Howard Wen has reported on technology news (specializing in business, development, wireless, culture, gaming and open source) for several publications. He can be reached at www.HowardWen.com.

Copyright © 2009 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.

Inauguration on Silverlight: Some Linux Fans Upset

Those up top (the Presidential Inaugural Committee) chose to utilize Microsoft's Silverlight technology to stream the upcoming inaugural events for the new president of the United States. Though Microsoft certainly likes this idea, this leaves out thousands of people in the US and elsewhere who still cannot run Silverlight or an open source alternative on their systems from viewing the streamed video online.
##CONTINUE##
Though the percentage of Internet subscribers who will be able to view the video stream outweighs those who cannot, it was probably a bit inconsiderate of the PIC to chose Silverlight over more open and more easily accessible standards. This leaves out Linux, Mac PowerPC, and FreeBSD users, according to an upset open source advocate.

Though there is the Moonlight alternative for Linux users, it is still in a beta stage and won't be finalized for still several more weeks, and even then it will not be implementing many of the Silverlight 2.0 features. Moonlight 2.0 would be able to handle such features, but this will not be released until later this year-- a bit late for the inauguration events.

In the words of the Mono project chief, "I tried looking up the player on the Obama web site, and I guess the player has not been made public so I have no way of testing. The streaming and media codecs should be compatible with Moonlight 1.0, but the 'chrome' used to paint the player might be a 2.0 app. If people compile Moonlight from SVN, they can get our 2.0 support that might be enough to work with this, but we have not officially released that yet."

Since it's safe to say that most of the US population with Internet service who will watch the inaugural events via streaming online won't know any better to use a browser aside from Internet Explorer 7 or 8 on their cheap Dell machines bought at basement prices from Wal-Mart, there won't be too much of a problem for them. Still, it's the principle of the whole thing: why not include everybody and choose a more open and supported standard out there?

-----------------------------
BY weildish
Source：OS news

© 1997-2009 OSNews LLC. All Rights Reserved. OSNews and the OSNews logo are trademarks of OSNews.

Microsoft's Silverlight: Yes, we can

Just as President-elect Barack Obama has been busy assembling his Cabinet, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has been busy selecting providers of tech services for this week's inaugural festivities.
##CONTINUE##
The PIC has already made arrangements with YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr. The latest appointee? Microsoft's Silverlight Media Player, which has been tapped to enable live and on-demand video streaming of Tuesday's ceremony on the PIC Web site.

The PIC will also stream video of a Baltimore event on the Whistle Stop Tour that will take the President-elect and Vice President-elect Joe Biden to Washington, D.C., from Philadelphia.

This is not Silverlight's first major foray into politics. In August of last year, the Democratic National Convention Committee used Silverlight to stream convention proceedings, including President-elect Obama's acceptance speech.

Silverlight's participation in the inauguration could help Microsoft boost the momentum it gained from its work with NBC streaming live coverage for last summer's Olympics in Beijing. Over a 17-day period, Microsoft said NBCOlympics.com had more than 50 million unique visitors, resulting in 1.3 billion page views, 70 million video streams, and 600 million minutes of video watched.

After initial sluggish demand for the browser plug-in, the software maker said the Olympics helped boost Silverlight's U.S. penetration by 30 percent.

Silverlight, a competitor to Flash, debuted in 2007, and the final version of the Silverlight 2 media player came out in October. Among the new features are support for digital rights management technology, improved cross-platform support and deep zoom technology.

-----------------------------
BY Leslie Katz
Source：cnet

Leslie Katz, senior editor of CNET's Crave, covers gadgets, games, and most other digital distractions. As a co-host of the CNET News Daily Podcast, she sometimes tries to channel Terry Gross. E-mail Leslie.

@2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.

Silverlight for Windows Mobile Unofficially Available

Microsoft's Silverlight technology, a competing solution to Adobe Flash, offers multimedia capabilities for internet browsers. The technology has been available for desktops for a while, but hasn't been released for Windows Mobile. According to Unwired View, it is now unofficially available:
##CONTINUE##
However, official or not, there seems to be a Silverlight for Windows Mobile application available for download now, in the form of a photo gallery called “Silverlight for Windows Mobile Solution Kit.”

Reportedly, the unofficial package is for users who want to make use of the zoom features in photo galleries, with a more full-feature Silverlight release coming soon.

Users can download the unofficial Silverlight Photo Gallery for Windows Mobile via the Windows Live download page.

-----------------------------
BY Chuong Nguyen
Source：pocketnow.com

Silverlight技术嵌入MSN 2009

MSN英国近日开始了对第13版本MSN主页界面的测试，主要新增了Silverlight技术，使得界面非常的华丽炫目。新的主页命名为“MSN Next”，当谈到该测试版本时，MSN英国制作人Peter Bale表示，新增的Silverlight技术将增强MSN的多媒体功能，尤其是视频和图片的嵌入。

##CONTINUE##

另外，如果你登录了MSN，你还可以选择通过Windows Live分享MSN的动态以及使用MSN Web应用。而法国版的MSN 2009比之前版本新增了50项新功能，包括动态头像的使用、图片和音乐的加载等。

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文章出处：驱动之家

作者：N/A