Welcome to Developer's Zone  
You are not Logged in! Log in to check New Updates.

Microsoft Silverlight

(back)
Silverlight enables development of the next generation of Microsoft .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. Silverlight is delivered as a cross-platform and cross-browser plug-in that exposes a programming framework and features that are a subset of the .NET Framework and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).

It also a powerful development platform for creating engaging, interactive user experiences for Web, desktop, and mobile applications when online or offline.

Silverlight Technologies:

Version 1.0 of Silverlight used JavaScript and supported the industry-leading Windows Media Services enabling delivery of audio and video that includes 2D and vector graphics.

Version 2 includes all features of version 1.0 and:

  • support for the .NET Framework.
  • support for .NET-compliant programming languages such as C#, Visual Basic, Python, and Ruby.
  • support for database operations and language-integrated query (LINQ).
Microsoft Silverlight

Silverlight Hosting:

Microsoft Silverlight functionality is completely encapsulated within the Silverlight plug-in. Web applications typically require the server hosting the Web application to meet minimum requirements. Silverlight applications simply require a Web server to be equipped as they would be for hosting HTML documents. Silverlight applications can be hosted on any Web server accessible to the target audience. The two most commonly used Web servers are Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and Apache.

Executing a Silverlight application on a Web client machine is a two step process. First, the application will detect if the Silverlight plug-in is installed on the Web client machine. If the plug-in is not installed, the user will be prompted with an option to download the plug-in. If the user opts to do so, a request will be made of the Web server to download and install the plug-in. The Silverlight plug-in is embodied in a .dll executable file that is loaded into the Web client browser memory once installed. The only interaction required by the Web client when installing the Silverlight plug-in is to grant permission for the plug-in to be installed. Various Web servers, including Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), may require slight configuration modifications so that the Silverlight executable file will be downloaded to the Web client when requested.

Second, once the Silverlight plug-in is installed on the Web client machine, the Silverlight application itself must be downloaded. A Silverlight application may consist of many types of files. Slight configuration modifications may be necessary on the Web server, such as MIME types, so that XAML and XAP files are associated with Silverlight and downloaded correctly to the Web client machine when requested.

Once the Silverlight plug-in is installed on a Web client machine and a Silverlight application is downloaded, the Silverlight application is then hosted on the Web client machine. There are some requirements necessary for the Web client machine as discussed in the sections below, however all media players, audio and video codecs, compilers and the runtime are encapsulated in the Silverlight plug-in.

Supported Platforms:

Silverlight can be installed on Windows and Macintosh machines. Silverlight applications run within the confines of a plug-in. There are many benefits to using a plug-in with the primary benefit being consistency across implementations. A plug-in application can provide a consistent result in every instance where it is supported. Other plug-in solutions, such as Adobe Flash, have become popular due to consistency across implementations. For instance, a plug-in application should deliver a consistent result regardless of whether it is displayed using Internet Explorer on Windows or Safari on a Macintosh.

Platforms that Support Silverlight 2
Operating System Browser
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows XP SP2
  • Windows 2000
  • Windows Server 2003
  • Internet Explorer 7+
  • Firefox 1.5+
  • Google Chrome
  • Macintosh OS 10.4.8+ (Intel Based)
  • Safari
  • Firefox 1.5+