An Introduction to Silverlight and its Features

The Silverlight Framework introduced by Microsoft provides a cross-browser and platform independent approach to implement the .Net framework for developing media and rich internet applications (RIA). The Silverlight enables to create the applications that can be installed on desktop and the Windows phone as well. It includes lots of new features such as Extensible Application Markup language (XAML) that can be used to design the application UI layouts. You can use any dynamic language to develop the application logics and functionality.

Features of Silverlight

Here is a list of features that the Silverlight serves to develop the rich media applications:
1. Rich user interface controls to design the interactive layouts by adding animations and cool effects.
2. It enables to implement cross-browser and cross-platform applications that run on almost all popular web browsers.
3. It supports video and audio streaming. It provides their quality enhancement features also such scaling video quality.
4. Deep image zooming enables to play with graphics that the users can zoom-in, zoom-out and turn their positions in the web browser directly.
5. The out-of-browser feature of Silverlight enables the users to install the application on their desktop instead of running it in web browser they can run it on their own computers.
6. Silverlight for Windows Phone provides a platform for developing the applications for windows phone.
7. It fetches and updates the data from any data source onto the web page without refreshing the whole page that provides better user friendly environment.

What is a Silverlight Plug-in?

Likewise Adobe flash player plugin for web browsers, Microsoft also provides a free Silverlight plugin for web browsers. If the user's computer does not already have the Silverlight plugin installed on it, then the browser prompts for installing the required plugin. When user allows installing it, the plugin automatically downloads and installs on the machine within a few seconds. After refreshing the web page, the Silverlight application starts running instantly.