Web development would make sense to many if I say that it is web designing, database management, content management, client-server communication, hardware and software configuration, or in other words if I say it is developing applications to communicate over some form of network that may be accessed by some client device, i.e., a web browser, a mobile device etc.

Let’s understand where do Silverlight and Flash stand in web development, how are they characterized, and how do they compete.

Position

Client-side web development skills can make use of the following set of technologies. The list includes only the most common technologies in use.

•     HTML/XHTML/XML
•     Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
•     JavaScript
•     Ajax
•     Flash/Flex
•     Microsoft Silverlight

Characterization

Silverlight was released by Microsoft in October of 2008 as a free runtime programmable web browser plug-in using the .NET framework that could power Rich Internet Application experiences and deliver high-quality, interactive video across multiple platforms and browsers. It uses XAML (text based) with a simple XML object able to output it. Its rich internet application enabling features include vector graphics, animation, and audio/video playback.

Flash was introduced in 1996. Originally acquired by Macromedia, currently it is owned by Adobe Systems. It is a frequently used multimedia platform for ads and games and more recently has been positioned as a RIA tool. Containing an object-oriented language called ActionScript, it has a control over vector and raster graphics that empower it for animation of the text, drawings, and static images. It supports bidirectional streaming of audio and video.

ActionScript, coming from the early days of DOS, would mean adopting an imperative approach, while XAML is a rather declarative approach.

Competition

Let’s start with Silverlight. What all it offers! Silverlight supports animation through a time based model and not a frame-based. Known as WPF animation model, it has entirely eliminated matrixes. The system figures out the function just with the defined start and end conditions. It supports JavaScript, VB.NET, and C# programming languages and has an exclusive support for popular JPG and PNG formats. It allows the use of true type fonts directly. From a debugging point of view, it is relatively much more easy and versatile than Flash.

Setbacks: Can’t work on Linux. Missing features like buttons and grids affect functionality for some of the tasks. Socket programming and sound processing unavailable, useless for websites like YouTube.

On the other hand, Flash can work on Linux, and that’s a very important feature. It contains certain useful features that are missing in Silverlight such as buttons, list buttons, list views, checkboxes, and grids. It supports GIF and BMP formats.

Setbacks: Inability to work with .avi and.mov files and also to bind to models or connect to the network and obtain data.

Though not yet as prevalent as Flash, Silverlight definitely has emerged as a powerful cross browser and cross-platform browser plug-in able to design, develop, and deliver complex applications for companies on the World Wide Web. It also allows for rapid development. Its growing popularity can be measured by the fact that it has been used for video streaming in many high-profile events such as 2008 Summer Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics.