Microsoft's Silverlight Hopes to Unseat Adobe's Flash

REDMOND, Wash. — Has anyone heard of Microsoft Silverlight?

Nope. And that's the problem facing the computer giant.

Silverlight is Microsoft's little-known answer to Adobe's Flash application. Microsoft's Brian Goldfarb leads the Silverlight development team, and while he spends a lot of his time trying to make it a better program, he spends just as much time explaining what it is to the uninitiated.

But whenever possible, Goldfarb explains why he thinks Silverlight is better – without alienating anyone, of course.

"What I want to avoid is arbitrarily pushing things on people's machines," he said. "Apple just jammed Safari 3.1 down as part of iTunes."

In order to raise Silverlight's currently low profile, Golfarb and his staff are wheeling and dealing, searching for ways to get Silverlight onto more than the 2 percent of computers that now run it. The company experimented with including Silverlight with its latest version of Office for Mac, even though Office doesn't use the application, not even as a plugin.

But surfers who use the MSN toolbar may have noticed some of Silverlight's functionality in action when they navigated dynamic content or lined up RSS feeds to keep an eye on.

Given the widespread use of Adobe's Flash in the adult industry – from web and graphic design to content distribution – the addition of another industry-standard application would inconvenience a lot of industry professionals.

Webmasters Joe Hochstuhl told XBIZ that Flash is fine for now.

"One personal observation about Silverlight – this is a classic Microsoft attempt to muscle in on another company's dominant role in a technology," said Hochstuhl, who heads up NDTS Development. "Webmasters are well into Flash development and have been for quite some time. Silverlight currently has version two in beta, and while it does some cool things with regard to online graphics and integration with AJAX via Javascript, it still has a very long way to go to work itself into the common webmaster's field of vision."

For more information on Silverlight, visit Microsoft.com or the official development portal for Silverlight.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Taylor Nicole Launches New Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Creator Taylor Nicole has launched her new official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Adult Networking Platform SpicyGigs.com Launches

SpicyGigs, a new adult industry networking platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Cream Pie Challenge' Fundraiser

Pineapple Support is hosting its Cream Pie Challenge through August to raise funds for mental health services for industry performers.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Report: VPN Downloads Soar in UK Following Age Verification Deadline

Virtual private network apps, which can be used to circumvent geo-specific age verification requirements, are topping Apple App Store downloads in the U.K. in the wake of new Online Safety Act rules, the BBC is reporting.

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Show More