Nearly a year ago, Microsoft pulled together a group of reporters for Bing Fall Release event. The highlight of the presentation was a demo showing off some nifty new features in Bing Maps. The problem? All of this stuff required Microsoft’s Silverlight
browser plug-in to work.
I berated the company for once again pushing users towards a more proprietary web. So today it’s time to laud them, as they seem to be backing away from that strategy.
During last week’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC),
ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley asked
Bob Muglia, Microsoft’s SVP of the Server and Tools Business, why the company failed to highlight Silverlight in a meaningful way this year. His answer was rather surprising.
“Silverlight is our development platform for Windows Phone,” he said. And while he said that the technology has some “sweet spots” for media applications (presumably like Netflix, which uses Silverlight on the web), its role as a vehicle for delivering
a cross-platform runtime appears to be over. “Our strategy has shifted,” is how Muglia put it.
Instead, as they made clear during PDC, Microsoft is putting their weight behind HTML5 going forward. Hallelujah.
Microsoft’s new IE9 web browser (which is in public beta testing) will be a big part of this strategy. And presumably, a lot of the things that currently require Silverlight, like some of those nifty Bing Maps features, will move to HTML5 going forward.
Again, that’s great news.
So why is Microsoft doing this? It seems that Microsoft sees the writing on the wall. They likely know that’s it’s going to be much harder to make a dent in the new developer world order with Silverlight, which still has a relatively small market penetration
and
no penetration in mobile, than with HTML5, which is (or shortly will be) everywhere — including all of Apple’s devices.
“HTML is the only true cross platform solution for everything, including (Apple’s) iOS platform,” Muglia told Foley.
This is a very different tone than Muglia had
just a year ago, when he and then Microsoft Chief Software Architect
Ray Ozzie were out on the circuit drumming up support for Silverlight with hopes that it would become a new de-facto standard like Adobe’s Flash. It’s not clear if Ozzie’s imminent departure from the company has anything to do with this change of tone or
vice versa.
Regardless, Silverlight will now be mainly known as the development platform for Windows Phone going forward. In other words, the way to make native apps for those devices. But for just about everything else, it will be HTML5 or bust. And that’s great news
for all end users. It’s one less plug-in to download. And it’s another step towards a unified web.
Wow... you guys are pretty sensationalist. But I guess that's the world we live in.
It seems pretty plain to me... HTML 5 for standard, externally-facing web apps. Silverlight for advanced media and line-of-business.
It is unfortunate that they're taking focus off of Silverlight, but it makes sense. There are still perks to Silverlight (or any RIA plugin). If you know those perks, you'll be able to understand whether or not to use it.
Instead of following the rumors, use your own head and make your own decision :)
The news reports say that Microsoft is giving up on Silverlight. Can Microsoft provide us with an official statement? I know news people can get it wrong.
chszu
Member
12 Points
21 Posts
Silverlight is dead?
Oct 31, 2010 09:27 AM | LINK
Is silverlight dead?
Silverlight 4
chszu
Member
12 Points
21 Posts
Re: Silverlight is dead?
Oct 31, 2010 10:24 AM | LINK
Nearly a year ago, Microsoft pulled together a group of reporters for Bing Fall Release event. The highlight of the presentation was a demo showing off some nifty new features in Bing Maps. The problem? All of this stuff required Microsoft’s Silverlight browser plug-in to work. I berated the company for once again pushing users towards a more proprietary web. So today it’s time to laud them, as they seem to be backing away from that strategy.
During last week’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC), ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley asked Bob Muglia, Microsoft’s SVP of the Server and Tools Business, why the company failed to highlight Silverlight in a meaningful way this year. His answer was rather surprising.
“Silverlight is our development platform for Windows Phone,” he said. And while he said that the technology has some “sweet spots” for media applications (presumably like Netflix, which uses Silverlight on the web), its role as a vehicle for delivering a cross-platform runtime appears to be over. “Our strategy has shifted,” is how Muglia put it.
Instead, as they made clear during PDC, Microsoft is putting their weight behind HTML5 going forward. Hallelujah.
Microsoft’s new IE9 web browser (which is in public beta testing) will be a big part of this strategy. And presumably, a lot of the things that currently require Silverlight, like some of those nifty Bing Maps features, will move to HTML5 going forward. Again, that’s great news.
So why is Microsoft doing this? It seems that Microsoft sees the writing on the wall. They likely know that’s it’s going to be much harder to make a dent in the new developer world order with Silverlight, which still has a relatively small market penetration and no penetration in mobile, than with HTML5, which is (or shortly will be) everywhere — including all of Apple’s devices.
“HTML is the only true cross platform solution for everything, including (Apple’s) iOS platform,” Muglia told Foley.
This is a very different tone than Muglia had just a year ago, when he and then Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie were out on the circuit drumming up support for Silverlight with hopes that it would become a new de-facto standard like Adobe’s Flash. It’s not clear if Ozzie’s imminent departure from the company has anything to do with this change of tone or vice versa.
Regardless, Silverlight will now be mainly known as the development platform for Windows Phone going forward. In other words, the way to make native apps for those devices. But for just about everything else, it will be HTML5 or bust. And that’s great news for all end users. It’s one less plug-in to download. And it’s another step towards a unified web.
chszu
Member
12 Points
21 Posts
Re: Silverlight is dead?
Oct 31, 2010 10:28 AM | LINK
Do you think it's time to abandon silverlight?
I want to give up it!!!
mherdotinfo
Member
187 Points
71 Posts
Re: Re: Silverlight is dead?
Oct 31, 2010 04:26 PM | LINK
It was murdered on OCT 28. Here is a link to the Silverlight murder trial.
http://bit.ly/cncZvD
bazz
Member
4 Points
15 Posts
Re: Silverlight is dead?
Nov 01, 2010 01:15 PM | LINK
How very dissappointing it is right now to be a silverlight developer.
Audrin
Member
4 Points
6 Posts
Re: Re: Silverlight is dead?
Nov 01, 2010 01:18 PM | LINK
I think silverlight is not as well be!
I think these comments are not rumors, silverlight technology and very good!
my opinion!
Augusto Audrin
thaicarrot
All-Star
16588 Points
4351 Posts
Re: Silverlight is dead?
Nov 01, 2010 01:59 PM | LINK
Weera
acyclic
Member
40 Points
20 Posts
Re: Silverlight is dead?
Nov 01, 2010 02:05 PM | LINK
Wow... you guys are pretty sensationalist. But I guess that's the world we live in.
It seems pretty plain to me... HTML 5 for standard, externally-facing web apps. Silverlight for advanced media and line-of-business.
It is unfortunate that they're taking focus off of Silverlight, but it makes sense. There are still perks to Silverlight (or any RIA plugin). If you know those perks, you'll be able to understand whether or not to use it.
Instead of following the rumors, use your own head and make your own decision :)
paultimothy
Member
4 Points
22 Posts
Re: Re: Silverlight is dead?
Nov 01, 2010 03:10 PM | LINK
The news reports say that Microsoft is giving up on Silverlight. Can Microsoft provide us with an official statement? I know news people can get it wrong.
Audrin
Member
4 Points
6 Posts
Re: Re: Re: Silverlight is dead?
Nov 01, 2010 05:10 PM | LINK
would be nice if we had an official place!
It would be much clearer for everyone.