The Plug-in Ecosystem under Pressure
Following Apple's ban of Flash from mobile viewports and the rapid maturation of HTML5, the web plugin market is facing a decline. Despite this, Microsoft released the Beta of Silverlight 5 in April 2011, targeting the enterprise desktop application market.
Let's evaluate the features introduced and the broader positioning of the framework.
Key Features in Silverlight 5 Beta
Silverlight 5 focuses on performance and media playback:
- ◆Hardware-Accelerated H.264 Video Decoding: Significantly reducing CPU usage during high-definition video streaming.
- ◆Trickplay support: Allowing media files to be played at different speeds with pitch correction.
- ◆3D Graphics API: Direct integration with GPUs using XNA-like APIs for advanced rendering.
- ◆Vector Printing: Enterprise reporting improvements.
- ◆Improved Text Rendering: Sub-pixel positioning and formatting.
For intranet applications, Silverlight 5 provides a powerful runtime for complex forms, data grids, and MVVM-architected C# client applications.
The HTML5 Inevitability
Despite Silverlight 5's technical excellence, Microsoft's own strategies are shifting:
- ◆Windows 8 Metro Interface: Focusing on HTML5/JS and XAML/C# natively on the desktop, bypassing the browser plugin framework.
- ◆Mobile Compatibility: Smartphones do not support Silverlight. Building public-facing web applications in Silverlight cuts off mobile traffic.
The Architectural Outlook
For existing enterprise .NET systems, Silverlight 5 is a robust target. However, new web systems should start transitioning to native HTML5/CSS3 to ensure platform compatibility.