Silverlight Clarity Please

Not too long ago Microsoft leaned on the idea that HTML5 was "da bomb" and the way of the future and Silverlight would sort of be reserved for Windows Phone 7. This was a fairly depressing announcement for a lot of Silverlight developers that have successfully deployed some seriously "Rich" web client applications. Microsoft nearly owns the word "Rich" and coined the phrase RIA - Rich Internet Applications. The ability to deliver Windows like quality apps, with all the graphics, video and sound, via a browser was quite fantastic. The problem from the beginning however has really been cross platform usability. Silverlight web apps run like a dream on Windows delivered through IE (and other browsers). This was not however the case with Mac and Linux. The Apple experience worked most of the time but was not entirely smooth. The Linux experience was dreadful, Moonlight has always been a couple steps behind and the collaboration effort between Microsoft and the Moonlight crew seemed average at best.

More recently Scott Guthrie delivered a keynote (quite long - you may have to trust me here) 4 Silverlight Firestarter where HTML5, Silverlight and Windows Phone 7 came up. Although Scott sort of promised Silverlight has a great future, it was not a ground thumping super convincing Silverlight's position in the future statement. He did mention that Silverlight is the platform of choice for Windows Phone 7, which means that apps for Windows Phone 7 that are going into the app store will be Silverlight. From recent experiences in the app store space we also know that once there is a reasonably consistent dev platform for a platform is makes sense to port the apps in the store to more than one device or port the device operating platform to use apps from an existing store. A good example is the iPhone, the iPad and now OS X. Apps work on all of them and there is a definite convergence in this space. Could it be that Microsoft have chosen a winning horse here? Silverlight apps run on WP7 (we know this). Silverlight will run on MS Tablets (regardless of platform). Silverlight runs on Windows (currently Browser oriented'ish). What if Microsoft were to give a away a dev model (really free and lots of examples and a epic SDK) that encouraged developers to create apps using Silverlight that worked across all platforms. Paul Thurrot has a take on some Windows 8 rumours. The Windows 8 UI stuff is interesting, but the really juicy bit is the new app model where Silverlight apps can package as ".appx" files and be written in the popular languages and work on anything.

The UI is going to change and Microsoft might as well consolidate development of apps for multiple form factors (PC, Tablet and Phone). To run these types of apps you would need .NET and some kind of extra-curricular thin XAML layer to give you the UI. The new UI library for Windows is currently codename Jupiter. This is a good idea. The applications would have access to all the visual goodness that is XAML and the "Rich" "Fluid" applications would be cross platform.

This is however a complex approach. There are a lot of Windows apps out there. Requesting the Microsoft development community to update all apps to XAML (.appx) and re-publish in a new form is a big ask. I know a couple developers that would be thrilled with this idea but perhaps not so thrilled with re-writes. Maybe this is still the tip of the iceberg but Microsoft (and everybody else) has to do something. The cross platform cross form factor era is firmly upon us (developers). 

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