Architect Council 2.0 Postmortem
The second edition of Microsoft Architect Council happened on 7 Aug afternoon. We had a good small group of senior folks from different enterprises to hear myself and my special guest, Lup Yuen from NCS to share about Web 2.0 technologies, specifically on Silverlight, ASP.Net AJAX, Windows CardSpace, Windows Live Platform - Virtual Earth and so on, Popfly. There seems to be quite a bit of interest from the audience on building cool applications on Silverlight and Mashups using Popfly. Hopefully with Microsoft technologies, our enterprise customers can build Web 2.0 applications that are much faster and more impactful.
Here are some visual memories of the seminar...
Here are some quick information on Silverlight....
Silverlight Resources
Technical Definition
Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of Microsoft .NET–based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web
Simple Definition
Silverlight is a presentation front-end to deliver rich media such as video, animation and rich interactive applications over the web.
Platform and Browser Support
Supported operating systems:
- Windows XP (with SP2), Windows Vista, Windows 2000 (soon)
- Apple Mac OS X 10.4.8+ (PPC and intel)
- Linux (soon - through 3rd party)
Support web browsers:
- IE 6, IE 7
- Firefox 1.5, Firefox 2.0
- Safari
Minimum system requirements
- PC: x86, 500MHz CPU, 128MB RAM
- Mac OS X (PPC) : PPC G4 800 MHz, 128MB RAM
- Mac OS X (intel): Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz, 128MB RAM
Info here: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/system-requirements.aspx
Silverlight Versions
Silverlight 1.0:
- Current version Release Candidate – Go-Live license included
- Planned Release to Web (RTW) on 1 September 2007
- Silverlight 1.0 RC is available as a 1.4MB download for Windows, and 4.8MB download for Mac
Silverlight 1.1
- Current version alpha – Go-Live license not included
- Planned Release-to-Web (RTW) is 1H 2008 (likely March)
- Silverlight 1.1 alpha is available as a download for Windows & Mac
Key differences between Silverlight 1.0 and Silverlight 1.1:
- Silverlight 1.0 focuses on delivering media experience (esp. video) and supports JavaScript-based programming model
- Silverlight 1.1 will extend 1.0 and extend into the Rich Interactive Application (RIA) space. It also includes the .NET core runtime (CLR or Common Language Runtime) and incorporate a more flexible programming model support for .NET languages (C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript, Ruby, Python)
Silverlight Media & Audio Information
Audio & video format support in Silverlight:
- Silverlight supports Windows Media Audio and Video (WMA, WMV7–9) and VC-1, as well as MP3 audio. Additional formats may be available by the final release based on customer feedback.
- VC-1 is an industry-standard video format, recognized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and most notably ships in all HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc–certified electronics, hardware, and tools. Windows Media Video 9 (WMV-9) is the Microsoft implementation of the SMPTE VC-1 standard video codec. Microsoft initiated development of the standard with the release of WMV-9 to SMPTE.
- Silverlight supports 720p, HD quality with considerable performance benefits over other solutions. Performance is dependent upon the central processing unit (CPU) capabilities of your computer and configurations. Generally, in testing, a 3-gigahertz (GHz) CPU and/or dual-core support greatly benefit the HD playback experience.
- Silverlight does not currently support MPEG4, H.264 video, AAC audio or Flash video. However, these formats can be transcoded (e.g., by automated server function) into Silverlight
- For content providers, Silverlight will support digital rights management (DRM) based on Microsoft PlayReady content access technology in Silverlight 1.1
Server & Services Information
Web Server support:
Silverlight works with any Web server just like HTML does. Video and audio content can also be progressively downloaded and played back from any Web server platform. Benefits of Windows server-based distribution of Silverlight applications include Windows Media Services with Fast Stream (instant playback) and Fast reconnect technologies, lower distribution costs (streaming users only download what they watch), and tap into the full Windows server ecosystem of platform components and partner solutions. Those benefits will be enhanced in the future version of Windows Server 2008 and with IIS 7.0.
Upcoming Technologies (Windows Server 2008):
Windows Server 2008 raises the bar significantly on security, reliability, and robustness, and it is already considered to have excellent live and streaming delivery. New investments are being made in two key areas: IIS 7.0 and Windows Media Services.
- Windows Media Services (WMS): Under development for Windows Server 2008 to provide advanced streaming media support, enabling significantly more scalable live and on-demand broadcasts that build on the industry-leading availability, cost-efficiency, and uptime offered by Windows Server 2003 today. Silverlight joins the list of client platforms that can connect to and present WMS streamed audio and video as an integrated part of media-enabled applications for the Web, whether you are building a simple cross-platform, browser-based media experience or a rich interactive application (RIA) for the Web.
- IIS 7.0: For customers who prefer to use IIS for progressive download of media-enabled applications and experiences, Microsoft announces the IIS 7.0 Media Pack. The IIS 7.0 Media Pack reduces the cost of delivering downloaded content, such as media, thanks to bit-rate throttling. The IIS 7.0 Media Pack will be a free download for customers of Windows Server 2008 later this year.
Windows Media Service:
More information about network capacity planning to set up and support streaming server with Windows Media Services at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsmedia/deploy/wmdepgd.mspx#EOFAC
