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Microsoft Woos Developers Under the Silverlight

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the go-on-start-wooing dept.

CWmike writes to tell us that with the impending release of their Silverlight 2.0 product, Microsoft is poised to enact the next phase of their plan, wooing developers and designers directly. Microsoft is funding a French open-source project designed to allow programmers to utilize the Eclipse framework to build Silverlight apps. "Microsoft is also releasing for free a set of programming templates called the Silverlight Control Pack under its Microsoft Permissive License, as well as the technical specification for Silverlight's Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) vocabulary via Microsoft's Open Specification Promise. The latter, said Goldfarb, should make it easier for would-be Silverlight developers."

7 of 300 comments (clear)

  1. While I don't like Flash. by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Flash is multi platfrom and there is GASH as an option.
    I also trust Adobe to be OS neutral a lot more than Microsoft.
    99% of our your users already have Flash so why make them download and install Silverlight.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    1. Re:While I don't like Flash. by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You do realize that is the same twisted logic that caused a lot of the internet to be IE only?

      99% of our your users already have IE so why make this work with Mozilla

      Same trap. Just a different beast.

      --

      "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
  2. So, does this mean by afidel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We can expect an open source Silverlight viewer? If so and MS has agreed not to enforce any patents on the technology then I see little reason for it to not overtake flash. Flash sucks, a lot. The sooner we have another cross platform app for doing online animations and movies the better.

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
  3. Re:Ugh, I tire of this... by Microlith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Silverlight is a tool that Microsoft is designing so that developers can take better advantage of the rich Internet experience.

    Sounds like marketing drivel to me.

    Why can't people get past the whole pro vs. anti-Microsoft thing?

    While financials are right in stating that past performance does not guarantee future performance, microsoft does not get the benefit of the doubt. They have (and continue to, albeit subtly) acted maliciously towards their competitors for a long time, and will spread FUD whenever they can to drive users to the "platform of choice*", namely Windows and Windows-derivatives.

    Not to say that Microsoft hasn't come up with some good things. The problem is that adopting these good things puts you right where Microsoft wants you: following them lockstep, but never quite able to catch up.

    That said, your post reeks of cheerleader. Wake me up when Mono catches up to .NET 3.0 (I think they just got 1.0 WinForms support and are nearing 2.0 compatibility?)

  4. Re:Ugh, I tire of this... by Dan667 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I think that you are glossing over three decades of Microsoft stifling innovation, locking out others, and bullying. It is a very healthy thing to scrutinize Microsoft's activity and make sure others know to be wary of them. If they are going to behave differently they are not going to gain trust over night. But there is nothing so far that show that Microsoft is behaving any less badly than they have before.

  5. Re:Ugh, I tire of this... by LWATCDR · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well it has more to do with standards. I don't want to have anything I do on the internet tied to one OS, browser, or even software supplier.
    Flash is supported on more OS's and more browsers than Silverlight.
    Also I just can not trust microsoft to keep supporting anything but Windows.
    IE, Mediaplayer, and VBA for Office all show that Microsoft will not support anything but Windows.
    That isn't really politics it is just logic. The internet should be OS and Browser neutral.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  6. Re:Really nice Silverlight sample site by argent · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But flip through the site and check out the functionality.

    We're sorry, but the Democratic Convention video web site isn't compatible with your operating system and/or browser.

    I'm sorry, but you're making me more interested in what McCain's got to say.