Comments on: Mix 09: Silverlight 3 takes center stage

After a touchy-feely start, Microsoft gets geeky as the talk shifts to new versions of its Web tools, most notably Silverlight 3.

[Super2online]

Everything sounds really good. Can't wait to see some of this stuff in action so we can do some comparisons.

[eadeguzman]

I read CNET news almost everyday... but I can't seem to remember reading any article here that highlight the news that Java developers can now take advantage and write applications for the Silverlight platform through eclipse:

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/Microsoft-Touts-Silverlight-Interop-with-Eclipse-Java/

I think this is a big win for Open Source and was expecting a news article from Ina or Matt...

Here's the eclipse plugin download, for those interested:

http://www.eclipse4sl.org/download/mac/

This underscores how serious (I'm sure some folks here would rather use the term "desparate") Microsoft is with the platform.

By the way, it says in the article for Java developers but it's really in C# language (which is similar, but not the same as Java). But just the same you can now write Silverlight applications from the Mac!

[jltnol--2008]

Ugh!

I'm going to hold my breath and hope that QTX, which should be out soon, will dispose of both Flash and Silverlight.

QT has no DRM at the moment, but I have no doubt that QTX will. And although I hate that idea, I hate the idea of Silverlight MORE.

[Jeff Putz]

What is your hate even based on? How many things have you built with Silverlight to qualify your opinion?

[goodspeed8701]

@jeff you are saying too much about jitnot... this dude has no direction in life. what they do is just wake up in the morning and add one more thing they hate to their list.

[ncalishome]

He just has a layman's understanding of the product and its market. Microsoft is going after RIA (rich internet application) developers. Streaming video for the Olympics (for example) merely showcases your product to get mindshare. Silverlight is intended to go head to head with Adobe Flex and AIR, plain and simple. If you don't know the difference you're just not a developer or familiar with the industry, and that's ok.

[streamOG]

yeah because anyone cares about the market following QTX. FYI QuickTime has DRM it's called FairPlay. It's in iTunes.

And yes Silverlight's DRM solution works on both the Mac and PC and soon Linux. All you haters give it a rest.

[JuggerNaut]

@streamOG

..."And yes Silverlight's DRM solution works on both the Mac and PC and soon Linux. All you haters give it a rest."...

Dude, Microsoft's offering cannot span as far as Flash can. Silverlight only works on Windows and sometimes Mac (Intel-only)! And I seriously doubt Microsoft will release Silverlight for Linux.

And give you hate drivel a rest while you're at it.

[GajaKannan]

@JuggerNaut

"And I seriously doubt Microsoft will release Silverlight for Linux"

You are absolutely correct. Microsoft will not release Silverlight for Linux, because there is a open source initiative well underway called moonlight. Check out at http://www.mono-project.com/MoonlightRoadmap

[eadeguzman]

JuggerNaut -- I don't know if you noticed, but Mac on PowerPC is increasingly becoming irrelevant.

[ncalishome]

It sounds like Microsoft is getting their act together quickly.

It seems a lot of people think Microsoft is trying to go head to head with Flash in a sense that MS wants people to start making annoying vector animations in Silverlight and deploy their video content through it. Partially yes (it gets people to download), but I their sights are more set on Adobe Flex/AIR. Microsoft has a huge developer base in .NET land and Silverlight is a natural extension of the .NET paradigm. I program Flex apps and I have never, ever, been overwhelmed by Adobe in terms of tools and robustness. They're pretty much blowing it on Flex and AIR as far as I'm concerned. I'm friends with a couple .NET developers and am constantly envious of Visual Studio and resources they have at their disposal. Extend this into Silverlight and I expect good things.

[streamOG]

Um JuggerNaut,

Slow your roll guy. Your info isn't correct:

The MS Silverlight Team has been working hard with the MONO guys to get MoonLight with DRM support. Looks like you missed this but it's already released and on version 2.

http://www.mono-project.com/MoonlightRoadmap

Don't be the guy that rushes in without first thinking and researching and hey try being polite too.

ncalishome brings up a very good point. Silverlight is somewhat a subset of the capabilities in every Vista machine and soon Win7... WPF/E

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Presentation_Foundation

AIR was Adobe's direct response to Microsoft's approach to moving towards this model.

Not to mention they are wrapping a week long Mix Show in Vegas where rumor has it, there was a lot of momentum and energy around many of the new SL applications.

NCAA is also using the product like on CBS SPorts's Final 4 site and The Olympic Committee just announced 2010 Winter Olympics will use SL3.

[ncalishome]

I don't think a lot of people see the big picture here. They'll get it over time. Microsoft needs this to be a success on every reasonable platform, and by providing all their test cases and codecs to the Moonlight people (Novell basically) they're making this happen.

I think that not understanding (or underestimating) the Microsoft developer community is where the real shortsightedness comes from. I am not in it (Flex/LAMP monkey here) but I know many who are, and Silverlight 3 (Blend 3) is going to drop right into the Visual Studio promised land as intended all along and really extend the community at larges reach into RIA development in a comfortable way. I'd say largely exceeding what we've seen by and large with Flex/AIR to date.

Microsoft goes to great lengths to make their developers happy and I think Blend 3 with Visual Studio integration is going to give Adobe a brutal fight. Adobe constantly disappoints me. If you do fairly complex Flash projects as my company does, you also know that you have to cross-browser test your work as the plug-ins don't always work the same.

[streamOG]

http://mmod.ncaa.com/video/hq

[streamOG]

http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/Home.aspx

[mikeburek]

I've heard many people complain about Netflix switching to Silverlight. They have a good reason for going to it, but hopefully they fix the bugs with slow and lower quality streams that I've heard of soon.

[ncalishome]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10118426-93.html

On laying off 50 people in Netflix tech support: "He credited Microsoft's Silverlight with making it easier for customers to install Netflix's player on PCs and Macs."

All in all this is a good switch for Netflix. Their old player was really finicky. The DRM was out of control crap. I have three screens and with the old player I could only play it on my primary monitor due to the DRM. Frequently I'd have to run a tool to reset it, which sometimes wouldn't work leading to tech support calls. I stream quite a few movies and the new player is progress to me... Tons faster skipping around to find a part in a movie, and the thumbnail view when you're navigating through the timeline is great. And no nazi DRM.

[streamOG]

ncalishome... sorry but actually yeah the Silverlight content does have DRM. That's the whole point of the big changes with PlayReady for Silverlight. You didn't even know they were using it :)

http://www.youtube.com/marchmadness

For those of you that said Silverlight would never see YouTube.... think again.

[ncalishome]

I know Silverlight has DRM, I was simply stating that the DRM in the old Netflix player needed to be shot and killed. It was terrible. :)

Thanks for Youtube link.. I didn't see that coming