Web Application Development with Microsoft Technologies

Silverlight is the new name for (WPF/E).

The original idea for it was to be the “Everywhere” version of WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). WPF is the new presentation framework for building Rich User Interfaces for Winforms applications, incorporating video, audio, charts, documents and controls to create a much better User Experience, in an easy way and using a common programming model for developers and designers (based in a new file type: the XAML file).

So Silverlight tries to apply this concept to the web. You use an XAML file to represent the UI, and include your media, enhanced graphics and controls in your web application. What is the best, you can ask your designer to design a pretty cool UI and then just export it to an XAML file and open it in your Visual Studio, attach your code and event handlers to the controls and deliver an much richer user experience.

Silverlight provides a DLR (Dynamic Language Runtime) which runs over the CLR, and this allow you to write your code not only in JavaScript, C# or VB.NET but also with dynamic languages such as Phyton and Ruby versions for .NET!

Another advantage is that it is cross-browser. But in order to work, client needs to download a small size set of libraries (plugin - less than 2 MB) so the browser is able to render the Silverlight Content.

If you already developer an ASP.NET application you can also take advantage of this platform embeding the content using the recently released Xaml and XMedia controls in Visual Studio 2008.

Many cool Silverlight controls are emerging and several companies are investing money and time to provide their users a enhanced look and feel with fine graphics and media.

If you are interested in learning Silverlight, I suggest you visiting the Silverlight Learning Center and following the step by step quickstart.

If you want to see Silverlight in action and its powerful features, visit the Fox Movies Silverlight Demo.

Versions History:

1.0 Final Version (supports JavaScript coding)
1.1 Alpha Version (supports Managed Code)

2.0 pre built controls and many improvements

Check current versions: http://silverlight.net/