Have You Seen The SilverLight?

Microsoft to do battle with Adobe, YouTube and Google to decide the future of online video

 

Check out this information from Microsoft

On the heels of an initial unveiling at NAB 2007, the full developer/designer roadmap for Microsoft Silverlight was presented today at MIX07 via a keynote from Microsoft Chief Software Architect, Ray Ozzie and Scott Guthrie, general manager of the Developer Division at Microsoft.

 

Today’s announcements and demonstrations included:

 

  • CBS Television Stations showcased an innovative community generated content initiative for its network of local Web sites that builds on Silverlight. The new initiative will allow users to view, upload, share, rate, comment, sort and search video, images, audio and text submissions. A key component of the application is its full integration into the existing content publishing workflow of the CBS Television Stations' digital media groups, allowing the community-generated content to be managed alongside the station's professional content in a single workflow.

 

  • Availability of Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 beta for download today, followed by the announcement of the availability of Microsoft Silverlight 1.1 alpha, offering broader tools and language support.

 

  • A new streaming service called Microsoft Silverlight Streaming, a companion offering to Silverlight that enables smaller web sites to more easily store and deliver media-rich Silverlight-based applications to users around the world.

 

 

Microsoft Lights Way for Next-Generation Web Development and Design at MIX07

 

 

Microsoft Silverlight enhancements unveiled including support for .NET managed code and dynamic languages; provides developers and designers with a comprehensive solution for building and delivering Web, PC and device applications.

 
 
Related Links
Virtual Pressrooms:
• Developer Tools Newsroom
• MIX07 Virtual Pressroom
• Microsoft Silverlight Virtual Pressroom
Feature Stories
• Microsoft’s Silverlight Helps Developers and Designers Light Up the Web for Customers – April 30, 2007
Microsoft Resources:
• Microsoft Silverlight Web site
• Silverlight Community Web site
• Virtual MIX Web Site
Other Resources:
• Amazon.com Web site
 

LAS VEGAS — April 30, 2007 — This week at MIX07, Web designers, Web developers, industry decision-makers and marketing professionals gathered as Microsoft Corp.’s Ray Ozzie, chief software architect, and Scott Guthrie, general manager of the Developer Division, presented the full breadth of Microsoft’s vision and road map for Microsoft® Silverlight™ and how it fits into the company’s broader Microsoft .NET platform and tools effort.

A core component of Microsoft’s overall strategy for the Web, Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications (RIAs). In addition to making the beta of Silverlight available for download, Microsoft announced unprecedented support for dynamic languages including Python and Ruby, powerful services integration and new tooling in the Expression® Studio and the next edition of Visual Studio®, code-named “Orcas,” for building Silverlight applications.

“Silverlight is an important aspect of our software-plus-services strategy focused on delivering great user experiences that span the Web, the PC and mobile devices,” said Ozzie. “It does so, in part, by bridging technical barriers that previously made it difficult for Web developers and designers to collaborate. As a result, Silverlight will play an important role in helping advance the Web with a platform for creating rich, interactive experiences.”

Web Developers Test-Drive the Latest Microsoft Web Technologies

The combination of Microsoft Silverlight and the latest platform and tooling enhancements make the .NET Framework unequaled for building and delivering Web, Windows®, and rich interactive applications. The .NET Framework now also has unparalleled support for developer and designer tools and multiple languages, ensuring the most productive experience for developers and designers alike. Today’s announcements include the following:

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Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 beta availability. Optimized for the Web, Microsoft Silverlight enables developers and designers to easily use existing skills and Visual Studio and Expression Studio tools to deliver media experiences and rich interactive applications. Silverlight works with any back-end Web platform or technology, seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure and applications, including Apache and PHP, as well as JavaScript and XHTML on the client. Beta 1.0 includes a go-live license, which means customers can deploy their Silverlight applications in production. Final availability of Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 is scheduled for summer 2007.

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Microsoft Silverlight 1.1 Alpha availability. Based on the .NET Framework, Silverlight 1.1 Alpha offers broader tools and language support. It enables developers to take advantage of support for powerful .NET features including ASP.NET AJAX and Language-Integrated Query (LINQ) language, with full IntelliSense® editing enabled for client and server code; powerful cross-platform debugging capabilities; and rich language support for JavaScript, Visual Basic®, C#, Python and Ruby.

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Expression Studio now shipping. Expression Studio, Microsoft’s end-to-end tools for creative designers, boosts collaboration with developers in the delivery of next-generation user experiences for Windows, the Web and beyond.

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Microsoft Silverlight Streaming. Silverlight Streaming is a new companion service for Silverlight that makes it easier for developers and designers to deliver and scale rich media as part of their Silverlight applications.

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Windows Live Platform Terms of Use. Microsoft is enabling the developer community to take advantage of the Windows Live™ services infrastructure and gain access to all the APIs through a simple, consistent set of terms that address multiyear supportability, scale, cost structure and commercial use of the platform. In addition, Microsoft announced new APIs to support programmatic access to Windows Live Spaces, Windows Live Contacts and Windows Live Messenger.

Microsoft Partners Showcase Benefits of Microsoft Web Technologies

The MIX07 event features participants from leading Web, media and design companies including Avenue A | Razorfish, BBC, CBS Television Stations, Disney, Electric Rain Inc., Facebook, frog design inc., gotomedia inc, IdentityMine Inc., Metaliq and Schematic.

“Central to our ‘Always On’ strategy has been the desire to create an interactive environment where our audiences can participate in the local broadcast process,” said Jonathan Leess, president and general manager of CBS Television Stations Digital Media Group. “This project, using Microsoft Silverlight technology, allows us to empower the massive long tail of untapped local media content that is waiting to converge with the broadband and broadcast mediums.”

“Our business is to create new and innovative cutting-edge solutions. We are always trying new technologies like Silverlight to redefine the limits of what can be done with interactive applications,” said Beau Ambur, CEO and founder of Metaliq. “With Microsoft, our designers and developers are able to work in parallel throughout a project, enabling us to deliver some of the richest experiences on the Web.”

MIX07 runs through Wednesday in Las Vegas. More information — including customer and partner videos and demos, keynote clips, Microsoft product overviews, and footage from the event floor — can be found by visiting http://visitmix.com.

Product Information and Availability

The Microsoft Silverlight 1.0 Beta and 1.1 Alpha are available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight. Those interested in learning more about Silverlight and joining its growing community can visit http://www.silverlight.net. Expression Studio is expected to be commercially available in May 2007. Customers interested in pre-ordering Expression Studio can visit http://www.amazon.com for details.

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