I have a few things to cover on this post. I want to start with Silverlight 5 but stay tuned for some information about how you can learn more and ask direct questions about the Sterling database.
Silverlight 5 Beta is Here
The Silverlight Team just officially announced that the Silverlight 5 beta will be available next week at MIX 2011. This is an exciting milestone because the new version will close many gaps. I provided my own detailed analysis when the version was first announced (From Silver to Gold in One Release). The recent announcement, however, came with a deeper message that is evident in its title, "Standards-based web, plugins, and Silverlight."
Already reactions are visible on Twitter and in various blog posts. For now, I think we need to take the post at face value and look at the key points discussed, essentially:
- Silverlight is king for plug-in based experiences
- Silverlight with XNA are the building blocks for the Windows Phone 7 platform
- HTML 5 is a solution for "many scenarios"
I think this is great news. I read into this that as an open standard, HTML 5 will grow in reach. The community certainly wants that to happen, and for good reason. There are more devices in play than ever before now that the smart phone market is growing and the playing field isn't just computers and laptops, but includes mobile devices and even gaming consoles. So why not embrace a technology that reaches across platforms and experiences? I think Silverlight developers would be insane not to at least pay attention to HTML 5 and learn what is there in order to make better decisions in the future about what technologies to use.
Having said that, I still believe that for applications (not web-based experiences) technologies like Silverlight make perfect sense. I also believe that while you will see more HTML 5 based platforms, that the native technologies for iOS, RIM, Windows Phone 7, etc. will still play an important role in the high touch, native experience. I don't believe that HTML 5 development kits are going to replace or come close to creating the same experience that an Objective-C, Java, Silverlight, or XNA based application can deliver. It's the same thing we've known in the computer industry for decades: the right tool for the right job.
HTML 5 Tooling
Most developers I know who have worked on multiple platforms are fans of the tooling that Microsoft provides. For any shortcomings, there are plenty of benefits. It's exciting to see part of the message focused on HTML 5 tools. I anticipate we'll hear announcements and perhaps even see previews at MIX of tools to make it easier to build HTML 5 applications. I hope this is received by the Silverlight community as an exciting step towards building web-based technologies and doesn't turn into another "oh my, Silverlight is going away" series of defensive rants. I see many projects that would make perfect sense to be created on an HTML-based platform and my biggest complaint for that platform right now is tools. I'm excited to see those tools and to receive more options for building the right solution. I continue to be a Silverlight fan and know there are many projects that only make sense in that type of rich environment, but I also want to be able to have another option for the projects for which it doesn't make sense.
The Death of Silverlight for Cross-Platform
I don't believe Silverlight will die, but I do read from the message that the goal of having Silverlight supported on as many devices and platforms is going away. I could be wrong, but it appears that while it will continue to be a first class citizen in the browser for the desktop and in the Windows Phone (and perhaps in other devices such as XBox if the rumors are true) it is not going to be an active goal of the team to put it in other environments like Android and iOs.
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