Great pitch… Try Silverlight!!! it's 80% as good as flash.

I have been a web application developer for seven years now. When I heard about Silverlight (or XAML rendered in the browser, 2003) I knew I’d be happy to drop HTML and JavaScript instantly. Here is why.

> Until recently, with the advent of AJAX, web applications displayed a page from scratch upon every postback. (Sure there are various ways to cache information, but basically displaying a page starts from ground zero every time). This is incredibly wasteful. AJAX has improved things but looks like a patch. The “simple markup” is not as simple as we’d like. You cannot make a cripple run by giving him a crutch.

> Browsers can only display so much information on a page because rendering all the HTML (text!) takes time. DOM manipulations are also notoriously slow. Consequently, web application developers either produce pages that are slow or limit the information they put on a page and force the user to click many times for simple tasks (the worst example: item details on a different page than the item list). In both cases the user is robbed of precious time (and forced to switch context repeatedly and unnecessarily).

> The support for decent basic UI elements (like a splitter, menus, scrollbars) is awful. After more than a decade of HTML there still is no splitter control. Many websites have menus that do not work properly. And scrollbars, why do I need to spend even a minute on getting proper scrollbars, while there is actual work to be done?! Silverlight comes out of the box with a splitter. Adding scrollbars is a breeze. Free working menus are available. After just two years there are more controls available than the HTML community was able to produce in a decade. And animations make my user interfaces so much more easeful to work with. Instead of compromise on compromise, bandaid over bandaid, I am finally producing user interfaces that are limited by my imagination, not by the technology. As a matter of fact, the biggest limitation I have to cope with is my seven years of experience with HTML, as it has made me used to compromises and thinking inside a small box.

I am not interested in whether a technology is proprietary or not. I am interested in solving business needs in as little time as possible. If Microsoft offers the best solutions for this, three hurrays for them.

With all due respect, I would like to say that Mindset is a dangerous thing. You have made up your mind, Flash is better than Silverlight. You’ll always go for Flash no matter how well we try to explain the advantages of Silverlight.
But my opinion is, It would be better if you did a little homework on Silverlight before writing this article.

I came to this article late, because I am travelling in Asia (to teach WPF and Silverlight to employees of a wel known firm who, like many others, understood that this is the future). Many others already stated what I want to tell you, so I won’t repeat. The bottom line is, your article is just plain wrong and you need to do your research before you write.

What I don’t understand, though, is why the article is still online. The way that you refute it now is not even close to what needs to be done. You need to either take the article down, or (even better) add the disclaimer at the top of the article. People need to know that this is a flawed article, that you didn’t do your research. Yes, this is “just a blog article”, but no, it doesn’t make it acceptable to write just what’s on your mind. Especially not on a community blog like this one.

I saw that you now understood that you are totally wrong about Silverlight (you wrote this http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/2009/08/21/blog-writing-101-get-your-facts-straight/). May I strongly suggest that you add the disclaimer as well as a link to that article at the top of the offending page, to give a warning to people who start to read the article. The way it is done now is not satisfying by a long way.

Thanks,
Laurent
.-= Laurent Bugnion (Silverlight MVP)´s last blog ..Polymorphic Podcast: MVVM, Blend, Integrator in WPF and Silverlight =-.

I came to this article late, because I am travelling in Asia (to teach WPF and Silverlight to employees of a wel known firm who, like many others, understood that this is the future). Many others already stated what I want to tell you, so I won’t repeat. The bottom line is, your article is just plain wrong and you need to do your research before you write.

What I don’t understand, though, is why the article is still online. The way that you refute it now is not even close to what needs to be done. You need to either take the article down, or (even better) add the disclaimer at the top of the article. People need to know that this is a flawed article, that you didn’t do your research. Yes, this is “just a blog article”, but no, it doesn’t make it acceptable to write just what’s on your mind. Especially not on a community blog like this one.

I saw that you now understood that you are totally wrong about Silverlight (you wrote this http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/2009/08/21/blog-writing-101-get-your-facts-straight/). May I strongly suggest that you add the disclaimer as well as a link to that article at the top of the offending page, to give a warning to people who start to read the article. The way it is done now is not satisfying by a long way.

Thanks,
Laurent
.-= Laurent Bugnion (Silverlight MVP)´s last blog ..Polymorphic Podcast: MVVM, Blend, Integrator in WPF and Silverlight =-.

There is something I would like to point out though, with regards as to why Silverlight will grow in user base and why it may be accepted faster.

First of all, there is a large base of .NET application developers. I don’t know how this compares to Adobe’s AS4 script, but I tend to think that Flash was mainly designed to be used in Web-based applications, not desktop apps.

.NET application developers have not tied themselves down to a proprietary language. The Microsoft development tools support fairly easy development (use of an external application for developing the UI [i.e. Expression Blend] is an annoyance) and debugging of Silverlight applications using a familiar integrated development environment is a bonus. (I think that Visual Studio 2010, when released, will make things much easier.)

I own both Adobe CS4 Production Premium and Visual Studio 2008 Professional and I must say that I am more inclined to use Adobe for my content and Silverlight for my application code. Not to say I may not try AS4 at some point; but I code where I’m most comfortable. I use both tools in tandem and they do play well together.

Cheers!

There is something I would like to point out though, with regards as to why Silverlight will grow in user base and why it may be accepted faster.

First of all, there is a large base of .NET application developers. I don’t know how this compares to Adobe’s AS4 script, but I tend to think that Flash was mainly designed to be used in Web-based applications, not desktop apps.

.NET application developers have not tied themselves down to a proprietary language. The Microsoft development tools support fairly easy development (use of an external application for developing the UI [i.e. Expression Blend] is an annoyance) and debugging of Silverlight applications using a familiar integrated development environment is a bonus. (I think that Visual Studio 2010, when released, will make things much easier.)

I own both Adobe CS4 Production Premium and Visual Studio 2008 Professional and I must say that I am more inclined to use Adobe for my content and Silverlight for my application code. Not to say I may not try AS4 at some point; but I code where I’m most comfortable. I use both tools in tandem and they do play well together.

Cheers!

http://www.innoveware.com/quakelight.html

So yea, unfortunately it is another flaw in your article.

http://www.innoveware.com/quakelight.html

So yea, unfortunately it is another flaw in your article.

So everything said, there’s something for everybody. If you don’t like red wine you may like white wine.

There’s no comparison to do between FLASH and SILVERLIGHT so this article is useless.

Use the platform you feel better to develop with and whoever is looking at your work by the window will see a similar result but don’t blame developers who comes from Microsoft background instead of ADOBE and the whole world of SCRIPTING, and JAVAING !

Do your job, and we’ll do ours. There’s no need to battle in there. You seem the only one whishing to have a war but there’s none.

Thank you.

So everything said, there’s something for everybody. If you don’t like red wine you may like white wine.

There’s no comparison to do between FLASH and SILVERLIGHT so this article is useless.

Use the platform you feel better to develop with and whoever is looking at your work by the window will see a similar result but don’t blame developers who comes from Microsoft background instead of ADOBE and the whole world of SCRIPTING, and JAVAING !

Do your job, and we’ll do ours. There’s no need to battle in there. You seem the only one whishing to have a war but there’s none.

Thank you.

get things clear before publishing anything. best of luck.
.-= Dhaval Faria´s last blog ..Managed DirectX =-.

get things clear before publishing anything. best of luck.
.-= Dhaval Faria´s last blog ..Managed DirectX =-.

-th
Microsoft

-th
Microsoft

I write a 1000 word article for this site, weekly. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, and I can’t be Ars Technica on a given topic with 1000 words.

This kind of reaction would not have occured over an opinion, so obviously my postition was seriously flawed. I apologize. I wrote a “10 things” blog article over a topic I lacked your expertise in, and you exposed my lack of knowledge in the area. This was not my intention, and I genuinely believed in the points I was advancing, but I was mistaken about a great deal it seems.

I will correct this with a properly researched comparison. Until then, please accept my apology for this article. I generally write on topics that I have a firm grasp of, but this week I went out on a limb with minimal research, and it bit me in the ass. I will not delete this article, because I feel that your comments are valid, and frankly I deserve it if I was so wrong in my assertions.

Thanks for straightening me out.

I write a 1000 word article for this site, weekly. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, and I can’t be Ars Technica on a given topic with 1000 words.

This kind of reaction would not have occured over an opinion, so obviously my postition was seriously flawed. I apologize. I wrote a “10 things” blog article over a topic I lacked your expertise in, and you exposed my lack of knowledge in the area. This was not my intention, and I genuinely believed in the points I was advancing, but I was mistaken about a great deal it seems.

I will correct this with a properly researched comparison. Until then, please accept my apology for this article. I generally write on topics that I have a firm grasp of, but this week I went out on a limb with minimal research, and it bit me in the ass. I will not delete this article, because I feel that your comments are valid, and frankly I deserve it if I was so wrong in my assertions.

Thanks for straightening me out.

If Flash does have any advantages over the competition, this type of trolling hides them instead of stating them.

Terrible job.

If Flash does have any advantages over the competition, this type of trolling hides them instead of stating them.

Terrible job.

Michael Lankton: when you try to cover up your profound lack of knowledge with blustering and evasion in the comments, it’s just slimy.

You were completely and totally wrong on so many levels. Have the balls to admit it. The internet has a long memory.

Michael Lankton: when you try to cover up your profound lack of knowledge with blustering and evasion in the comments, it’s just slimy.

You were completely and totally wrong on so many levels. Have the balls to admit it. The internet has a long memory.

Your argument is seriously flawed, you have failed in providing accurate information in which to compare and it only leads the reader to conclude that your opinion (and entire website) are not credible.

Before you speak up do your homework, unless of course you actually want to be like the individuals at the recent Health Care Town Hall meetings who scream ridiculous fabrications in an attempt to prevent relevant debate over the topic.

In addition, based on your Bio, it is obvious that you are not a developer and have never been one. You should leave the debate up to those who understand the technologies your comparing.

Your argument is seriously flawed, you have failed in providing accurate information in which to compare and it only leads the reader to conclude that your opinion (and entire website) are not credible.

Before you speak up do your homework, unless of course you actually want to be like the individuals at the recent Health Care Town Hall meetings who scream ridiculous fabrications in an attempt to prevent relevant debate over the topic.

In addition, based on your Bio, it is obvious that you are not a developer and have never been one. You should leave the debate up to those who understand the technologies your comparing.

“However, it’s been pointed out to me that you can store the Silverlight content on the server as a .zip file. As an afterthought. Touche.”

An afterthought? The XAP file deployment is *the preferred method* of deployment in Silverlight and has been since the Silverlight 2 Beta just months after the initial Silverlight 1 release. I don’t even know how you would easily create a Silverlight 2 or 3 application that *doesn’t* package to a XAP file.

Can you tell me how Flash still barely has an advantage on that point?