Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, and Scott Guthrie, general manager of the Developer Division, outlined the vision and road map for Microsoft Silverlight, a core component of Microsoft's overall strategy for the Web.
Microsoft's Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs). A beta of Silverlight has now been available for download. Final availability of Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 is scheduled for summer 2007.
Silverlight uses Windows Media Video (WMV), its implementation of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) VC-1 video standard, and promises scalability from full-screen high-definition (HD) to mobile devices.
Silverlight will support dynamic languages, including Python and Ruby.
Notably, Microsoft is also planning to launch a Silverlight Streaming service to help developers and designers to deliver and scale rich media as part of their Silverlight applications.
http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight
- Microsoft cited a number of early supporters for Silverlight, including Akamai Technologies, Brightcove, Eyeblaster, Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball and Netflix.
