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Silverlight Released, Linux Version Coming

Posted by kdawson on from the yet-another-plug-in dept.

Today Microsoft announced the release of Silverlight 1.0 for Windows and Mac OS X. This cross-browser, cross-platform browser plug-in is fully supported and competes directly with Adobe Flash. Included in this release was the promise from Microsoft to support the 100% compatible Linux version, called Moonlight.

12 of 462 comments (clear)

  1. Gnash by AJWM · · Score: 3, Informative

    Want an alternative to Adobe's Flash? Take a look at gnash, the GNU Project's Flash player. It's still in alpha but works with a lot of flash stuff, including eg YouTube, and on 64-bit.

    We don't need Yet Another Microsoft 'Standard'.

    --
    -- Alastair
    1. Re:Gnash by alx5000 · · Score: 4, Informative

      I've tried gnash, and I can only conclude it's incomplete. I use the knash part and it sux both ends. YouTube works when there's a full moon and the day of month is prime...

      --
      My 0.02 cents
  2. Re:What can posibly happen... by 808140 · · Score: 5, Informative

    MS didn't produce Moonlight. The Mono guys did. MS may try some patent-fu, but at the very least the code is out there. I personally don't respect software patents enough to abide by them anyway.

  3. for FF users by freshman_a · · Score: 3, Informative

    FYI, it won't work if you have Flashblock enabled on FF.

    --
    Slackware
  4. Re:It's a trap by thammoud · · Score: 4, Informative

    C# and Friends are sure mopping the floor with Java. http://www.tiobe.com/tpci.htm

  5. Re:Now that I've downloaded it... by Osrin · · Score: 3, Informative

    Try the showcase site, from the Silverlight home page.

    http://silverlight.net/Showcase/

  6. Details of cooperation by recoiledsnake · · Score: 3, Informative
    From Moonlight's Blog:

    The highlights of the collaboration are: Microsoft will give Novell access to the test suites for Silverlight to ensure that we have a compatible specification. The same test suite that Microsoft uses for Silverlight. Microsoft will give us access to the Silverlight specifications: details that might be necessary to implement 1.0, beyond what is currently published on the web; and specifications on the 1.1 version of Silverlight as it is updated. Microsoft will make the codecs for video and audio available to users of Moonlight from their web site. The codecs will be binary codecs, and they will only be licensed for use with Moonlight on a web browser (sorry, those are the rules for the Media codecs[1]). Novell will implement Silverlight 1.0 and 1.1 and will distribute it for the major Linux distributions at the time of the shipment. We will offer some kind of one-click install for Linux users (no "Open a terminal and type su followed by your password..." as well as RPM and DEB packages for the major distros and operating systems.
    Licensed codecs on Linux should put corporate types to rest. The restriction that it must be used only in Moonlight sucks though.
    --
    This space for rent.
  7. Re:Itsatrap. Here is why: by miguel · · Score: 5, Informative

    Acording to CNet (http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9769714-7.html): Version 1.1 will be announced in may, and will be tightly integrated with .NET. Game over. Mono can't keep up.


    Actually, Moonlight as of today already integrates with Mono, already exposes all of the Silverlight 1.1 API and already runs most of the samples on the net (modulo a lot of bugs ;-)

    Miguel.
  8. Re:It's a trap by CaffeineAddict2001 · · Score: 4, Informative

    All you are doing is listing old technologies. How does .NET "Pretty them up" ? While .NET can use COM dlls, it only does so through .NET wrappers, you make it sound as if .NET is built on top of these technologies. It is not.

  9. Re:What can posibly happen... by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Informative

    So... Why isn't all the .NET applications running smoothly and correctly in Linux. The thing with partnerships is that they can be broken. Microsoft should put the money where their mouth is and fully support Silverlight for Linux. This looks like Microsoft Cheap way of doing things. Too Bad too, Microsoft devleopers could learn a few tricks programming in Linux that may make Windows a better product.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  10. Re:Extreme Paranoia at Microsoft, explained. by Ralph+Spoilsport · · Score: 4, Informative
    I also detest Flash. I think it is an abomination. However: you are missing the point of what Flash is.

    Flash started as FutureSplash, a system for simple vector based goofy animations on the web.

    Macromedia bought it, and ramped it up. About, oooh, a week (?) after Flash was bought, the writing was on the wall - Macromedia Director was a Dead Duck. What made Director useful, however, was its craptacular programming language, Lingo. Once the vision shifted from Director to Flash, the move was on to develop a programming language for Flash - the result? The even MORE craptacular ActionScript.

    Several year ago, a survey was done and it was found that a full 80% of the users of the web would click "skip intro" and avoid using flash if they could. This set off a sea change at Macromedia, and now at Adobe, where Flash is no longer the funky little animation engine that couldn't if its life depended on it, but to become a "development environment" and platform for web based applications. Now, isn't THAT a totally stupid idea...

    So, what Microsoft is trying to do is strangle and/or marginalise Flash as a dev environment before it gets any real traction.

    Now you know.

    RS

    --
    Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
  11. Re:What can posibly happen... by mounthood · · Score: 4, Informative

    The video codecs for moonlight will be provided as binary blobs, directly from the Microsoft website and licensed only to be used in moonlight.

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    tomorrow who's gonna fuss