Democrats vote for Microsoft
If this year's Democratic convention does come down to a floor battle, Microsoft could end up being the real winner.
The Democratic National Convention Committee announced Monday that Microsoft will be the "official software and HD Web content provider" for the convention, which runs August 25-28 in Denver. The move is a vote of confidence for Silverlight, which is in a battle against incumbent Adobe Flash.
The software maker will power real-time online voting systems for delegates as well as live, gavel-to-gavel streaming coverage of the event at DemConvention.com.
"Silverlight multimedia applications will provide an all-access pass for the Convention's online audience, offering an unprecedented opportunity for viewers to individually tailor their Convention experiences," the party and Microsoft said in a statement.
The Democratic convention is just one of the events that Microsoft is banking on to help drive adoption of Silverlight. The company also has an exclusive deal to power NBC's Olympics site.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
