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Silverlight 2.0: The Wait Is Almost Over
2/21/2008
Beijing Boost
In the RIA race, time may be on Adobe's side, as the ubiquity of Flash on desktops--and soon, mobile devices--remains basically unchallenged. But Microsoft is lining up exclusive partnerships that will get Silverlight players downloaded one way or the other. And the technology had better work, because the stakes are high.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft announced that it has an exclusive agreement with NBC Universal Inc. to partner on NBCOlympics.com to provide Web content related to the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The coverage will start on Aug. 8, 2008, on MSN.com using Silverlight 2.0 technology. The plan is to provide video content via Silverlight streaming with video search, pop-up overlays, meta-data, event alerts, maps and the like, offering viewers access to any and all information related to the games.
The company also has a high-profile agreement with Netflix Inc. to support streaming content. But will the Silverlight 2.0 technology be ready? Guthrie said it will ship before the end of the year.
"The one issue that we've been dealing with lately with a couple of customers is that they're trying to decide between Silverlight and WPF," said Magenic's Lhotka. "In many cases they want Silverlight; the question is, when do you use the full thing or the little brother? Until we get some practical experience, the issue is that people are going to start using Silverlight, and then they're going to hit limitations."
Kathleen Richards is the senior editor of Redmond Developer News and Application Development Trends, online at ADTmag.com. You can contact Kathleen at krichards@1105media.com.
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