What is Silverlight. Uses, Features, Opinions, Prices

Silverlight It is a Microsoft platform for developing Internet applications for Windows y Mac. Silverlight It was designed to compete with other multimedia platforms, including JavaFX and JavaScript, but is currently deprecated and will no longer be officially supported as of October 2021.

It hasn't even been updated for a long time, it's not compatible with Microsoft Edge not even with Windows 10. It can be considered an abandoned project, which can only be used in Windows 7 and Vista environments, and with browsers like Internet Explorer 9.

However, you can still download it from their official website, although I don't think it will be of much use to you. As a subset of Microsoft's .NET framework, Silverlight extended the reach of .NET developers, allowing them to run their programs not only on Windows, but also on Mac.

Silverlight, Delivered as a plug-in for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and other web browsers, it supports animations, vector graphics, and other formats. MP3 and Windows Media, including the VC-1 video codec.

Silverlight programs can be written in Visual Basic, C#, Python, and Ruby.

What is Silverlight

Silverlight was a groundbreaking cross-platform implementation of the .NET Framework for creating and delivering rich multimedia experiences and interactive applications for the web.

In its early days, it ran on all popular browsers, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera. The plugin required to run Silverlight was small, so it installed very quickly.

Silverlight was a combination of different technologies into a single development platform that allowed you to select tools and the language of your choice. programming that you wanted to use.

What can Silverlight be used for?

Silverlight integrates seamlessly with your existing JavaScript and ASP.NET AJAX code to complement the functionality you've already built. Its primary goal was to compete with Adobe Flash and Ajax presentation components.

With the arrival of HTML 5, these types of programs no longer have a place in the world of web programming. We already saw the official death of Adobe Flash in January 2021. And Silverlight, which has been abandoned for a long time, will no longer be supported in October 2021.

Silverlight was:

• A programming model for developing and distributing rich Internet applications that use graphics, animation, or video within the .NET framework. Silverlight was previously known by its codename, Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere.
• A Microsoft plug-in for delivering media created with Silverlight. The Silverlight plug-in was both cross-browser and cross-platform. In particular, this made it interoperable with Apple's OS X and the Safari and Firefox web browsers, along with Windows and Internet Explorer.
• Microsoft's decision to create a plug-in for all three major web browsers was both an acknowledgement that it does not control the browser market and a strategic push for adoption by both the development community and installation by online media consumers.
• Silverlight's capabilities for collaborative development of rich online multimedia content sparked some excitement in the coding community. The platform allowed developers and designers to combine graphics and HTML using JavaScript and then integrate them into Ajax-enabled web pages, creating and previewing the code in real time.

Significantly, Silverlight shifted development from a desktop-centric environment to one based on the Web navigator. This was possible because Silverlight was compatible with Microsoft Common Language Runtime (CLR), which allowed both designers and developers to run the .NET environment within a browser and do so in a relatively lightweight package.

Silverlight Features

We will tell you about the features it handled in its beginnings, when it was considered one of the best programs for interactive applications, on par with Adobe Flash.

1. I had Built-in codec support to play VC-1 and WMV video, and MP3 and WMA audio within a browser.
2. Silverlight supported the ability to progressively download and play multimedia content from any web server.
3. Silverlight It also supported built-in media streaming.
4. Silverlight It allowed you to create rich UI and animations, and combine vector graphics with HTML to create engaging content experiences.
5. Silverlight made it easy to create rich interactive experiences with video players.
6. Quality video experience. I could watch some of the highest quality videos of the time, all embedded in highly graphical websites.
7. You could create web applications that ran in any browser and on any operating system.
8. Developers familiar with Visual Studio, Microsoft.net, could develop amazing applications Silverlight very quickly and get them working on Mac and Windows.

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Advantages

• Currently, there is no advantage to having it downloaded on your PC. It is outdated, not compatible with Microsoft's flagship browser or the current Windows 10.

Disadvantages

• It is an obsolete program.
• It has no updates and is not compatible with the current Windows 10.
• Microsoft has decided to drop support for Silverlight in Microsoft Edge, another death blow to the software.
• Even today, it does not have support for any browser.
• It is a security risk to have it on your PC.
• Microsoft has already posted on its official website that it will stop supporting Silverlight in October 2021. It already has a death date.

Plans and prices

Silverlight It is free and does not offer any kind of payment plans. It is still available on its website, although with the warning that the few users it has should prepare for October 2021.

Microsoft clarifies that it has not terminated the program, although, after that date, there will be no more security or quality updates. Nor will there be a download option.

Only those who already have it installed and without updates will be able to use it.

How and where to download Silverlight

You can download Silverlight from its official website: Microsoft Silverlight, only until October 12, 2021. After this, this program can no longer be downloaded officially.

The lack of compatibility with current browsers, and the fact that it will no longer be supported after October, make us recommend that you Don't download it.

However, if you still want to download it, it is highly recommended that you uninstall previous versions and perform a fresh installation instead of upgrading, otherwise conflicting installations may occur.

We recommend that you DO NOT INSTALL IT!

Uninstall to update

• Go to Control Panel, click on it.
• Then go to Programs and Features.
• A list of applications that you have installed on your PC appears, search Silverlight. When you find it, right click and uninstall.

Installation on Windows

• Download the Silverlight installer from the official website of Microsoft Silverlight.
• Once this installer is downloaded, navigate to your folder downloads and look for the file you just downloaded.
• Double click on the file.
• Then click on "Install Now".
• Wait for the installation to finish.
• Click finish.

Installation on Mac

• Double click on the file “dmg”.
• Right-click or hold Control, and click “pkg”.
• Click on "Open”From the pop-up menu.
• Click on "Open” in the message that says “pkg is not from the Mac App Store, are you sure you want to open it?".
• Follow the instructions on the screen to install Silverlight in the computer.
• Close and reopen your web browser to allow it to load. Silverlight. Sometimes you need to restart your computer for it to load properly.

Enable add-on in Internet Explorer

• In the top right corner of the browser, there should be a gear. Click it.
• Then in "Manage add-ons".
• In the left column, select “Toolbars and extensions".
• Then, under those options select “All the complements" in the category "Show".
• Seeks "Silverlight” and make sure it is set to “enabled” by highlighting and selecting the enable button.

Enable add-on in Mozilla Firefox

• Open the tools menu.
• Then click on ““Complements”.
• Search Microsoft Silverlight and verify that it is set to “always activate".

Enable plugin in Google Chrome

• Click on the three horizontal lines at the top right of the browser window.
• Choose "setting".
• Click on the option "Advanced settings".
• Under the heading “Privacy ”, Click on“Content Settings".
• Under the heading “Accessories”, make sure that the option “auto run” is selected.

Enable plugin in Safari

• In the menu of safari At the top of your computer, select “Preferences".
• Under the “ tabExtensions", Choose "Silverlight".
• Make sure that "Enable Silverlight” is selected.
• Make sure the on/off switch above the plugins list is also set to “On".

But as we have already mentioned to you, Silverlight is outdated and no longer supported by any of these browsers. Our recommendation is that you do not download or install it.

DO NOT INSTALL IT!

Opinions from users who have used Silverlight

Let's take a look at some opinions from users who have tried Silverlight or are still using it.

• Bxm:

“Good, but it could be better. While Silverlight is now becoming an older dependency for most products, I have noticed that it still contains some pretty useful features.

Since this is a pretty crucial integration for IE, I've had a decent level of experience with using Silverlight. Generally, when trying to use sites that use Silverlight as a backend in terms of overall operation/loading of the website and its interconnected pages.

My cons on this would simply be due to the fact that it is getting outdated pretty quickly, so I will need to make some definite changes in the future, particularly with the demise of Flash Player.”

• Arun Velekkat:

“It worked well, especially for NetflixBut, now it has reached its end of life. Yes, Microsoft has discontinued the later version of Silverlight 5. Microsoft has announced the end of support date for Silverlight (October 12, 2021).

So now is the right time to move from Silverlight to the right alternative platforms.”

• Brony Overlord:

“Great software and much better than Flash for streaming video, but it still feels like unnecessary extra bloatware.”

• Geekeleet:

“Silverlight was an amazing alternative to Flash when it first came on the scene. Since then, however, HTML5 has been released and has quickly made Silverlight obsolete. At work, Silverlight does not work properly in Chrome, which is the browser of choice for most of our users.”

Silverlight Alternatives. Top 5 of the Year

Microsoft Silverlight was undoubtedly a great choice for developing web applications. However, with the end of support for Silverlight, here are some other options.

1. Angular

Angular, is a popular JavaScript framework maintained by Google, and it is simply a great choice for developers around the world. It is an open source framework designed to address the challenges of web development processes and offers ease of integration with HTML code and application modules.

Moreover, it automatically syncs with modules making the development process smooth and following a DOM methodology, it focuses on improving performance and testability.

In addition to this, Angular uses TypeScript, which allows you to create and develop easily and effectively. Angular has its development base in AngularJS, its first version, and was released after several years of polishing and adapting the framework to the present.

With Angular, you can program and create for different platforms, including mobile platforms.

2.React

React is another application framework that can easily be labeled as one of the best, based on the popularity and affection it has gained in the developer community.

Launched in 2013, the framework React It is today well regarded and used by leading companies such as Apple, PayPal, Netflix and of course, Facebook.

React is a variant of the ReactJS JavaScript library that combines native app development with JavaScript UI development to create highly dynamic and responsive web pages.

While native modules allow you to implement platform-specific functions for iOS y Android, the rest of the code is written in JavaScript and is shared across platforms.

3.Ruffle

Ruffle It is one of the best alternatives to view Adobe Flash applications after its exit from the market. It behaves like an emulator. It is an independent application, which uses scripting Peace, for all the OS modern.

Ruffle can address Adobe's security concerns by leveraging the modern browser sandbox and memory safety of Rust.

It can avoid security flaws in all major web browsers and operating systems. Ruffle is a GNU project, so it is a free and open source flash media player.

Ruffle is available for both desktop and web clients. Users can simply download the web version of Ruffle and can view flash content without any additional configuration.

The media player can automatically populate content and seamlessly refresh websites that still rely on flash content, which are few, but still around.

4.Microsoft Visual Studio

Visual Studio It is what is known as an IDE (Integrated Development Environment), taking that name from its ability to be used on multiple platforms and the compatibility of various application languages.

It has three versions available, Visual Studio for Windows, Visual Studio Code for Windows, iOS and Linux, and Visual Studio for Mac. All available from their official website.

One of its great advantages is the capacity for assisted development Artificial Intelligence, known among users as IntelliCodeVisual Studio is free to download.

5. Blazor

blazer It is part of Microsoft's web development tools, using C#, HTML and CSS languages.

blazer is a feature of ASP.NET, the popular web development framework that extends the .NET development platform with tools and libraries for building web applications.

Blazor uses open web standards without plugins or code transpilation. Blazor is compatible with any modern browser, even mobile devices.

Code running in the browser runs in the same security sandbox as JavaScript frameworks. Blazor code running on the server has the flexibility to do anything it would normally do on the server, such as connecting directly to a database.

FAQs

Below is a list of frequently asked questions and answers regarding Silverlight.

1. Does Silverlight support multiple browsers and operating systems?

Not anymore. Currently Silverlight only supports Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7 machines. Neither Windows 7 nor Internet Explorer are updated.

2. What language was used to design with Silverlight?

XAML is a language used to design Silverlight. XAML stands for Extensible Application Markup Language. It is an XML-based declarative language created by Microsoft.

3. What is RIA?

RIA is an acronym for “Rich Internet Applications.” These are feature-rich web applications. These features include built-in AJAX support, layouts, animations, audio and video components.

Silverlight and Adobe Flash were examples of RIA.

4. When will Windows support end?

They have been abandoning the project for some time now, but officially, October 12, 2021 will be the last day of support, and will no longer be available to install.

5. What is the name of the Linux version of Silverlight?

The Linux version of Silverlight was known as Moonlight. It was also outdated.

Conclusion

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Microsoft has not actively developed Silverlight since 2015, and the platform will be completely retired on October 12, 2021. At that time, Microsoft will stop providing updates for the platform and will remove access to the installer, as well as the SDK and other resources.

However, since Silverlight has a “perpetual license,” existing Silverlight applications won’t be shut down. It just means they won’t be updated and it may be harder to find a browser that can run them.

Therefore, the final recommendation is not to download Silverlight.