What is Silverlight?

In this article we will try to understand what Silverlight is, what are its features and purpose. The network often mentions this name in combination with a word such as "plugin". What is a plug-in? This is such a special software module that you can connect to the main program and thereby expand or use its capabilities. In our case, the Silverlight plug-in connects to a browser that is installed in one of the following operating systems: Linux, MacOS or Windows.

Silverlight was developed by Microsoft based on the .NET Framework. And this is not just a plug-in, but a whole software platform that includes it. It enables firms to design and create effective applications and products for use in the worldwide network. A plug-in makes it possible to view the result of such developments in the browser. Basically these are some types of multimedia materials, such as interactive web applications, high-quality video, etc. If such a plug-in is not installed in the browser, then some websites are simply not displayed in full. I hope now the question of what Silverlight is, has cleared up a bit.

Why is this plugin so popular? First of all, because it is free. Its size is about 4 megabytes and it's easy to install. Moreover, the features that he possesses undoubtedly can not but interest. Let us consider them in more detail.

Key features of Silverlight:

• IIS Smooth Streaming;
• Out-of-browser work;
• SketchFlow;
• Deep Zoom;
• PivotViewer;
• New controls;
• The possibility of expanding multimedia formats;
• Perspective 3D projections;
• Textures and styles.

IIS Smooth Streaming is an extension that allows for the adaptive broadcast of a multimedia stream on demand or live using standard HTTP protocols. In this case, any user sees a high-quality image, regardless of what kind of computer it has and the speed of connection to the Internet.

Out-of-scope work involves the ability to create a Silverlight application that can be run on a local computer and work with it even if the machine is not connected to the network. In this case, there is no need to download any additional modules or use some special code. Such an application is able to download its update from the network, access disk space and check the status of the Internet connection. This allows you to establish closer and constant relationships with customers and to enter a new level of working with the Network.

SketchFlow makes it possible to create an effective demonstration of the project of the future program in the shortest possible time, in particular, it concerns the user interface. With this simple tool, a set of "raw" ideas turns into a prototype that can be quickly launched into work if the customer shows interest in it.

The Deep Zoom function is designed to quickly, smoothly and dynamically scale. It significantly reduces download time and makes high resolution and frame rate more accessible.

PivotViewer is able to turn operations with large arrays of data on the Internet into an exciting activity, bringing considerable convenience to this process. This interesting and simple model of simultaneous visualization of many objects, connected by a common theme, can for a long time retain the attention of users and find trends and patterns that were difficult to detect if you look at each object separately.

Silverlight includes over 60 new high-quality controls and markup containers. Developers can freely change their code or apply the original look of these elements.

The expansion of the number of multimedia formats is provided in Silverlight through the support of many third-party codecs. In addition, he himself has a number of built-in codecs.

3D-projection, allowing to rotate and scale the image, the possibility of using unique textures and styles allows you to realize almost any creative imagination of a professional developer.

All of the above features help to understand and understand what Silverlight is. It's unlikely that there will be a user who does not want to have it on his computer. And the company that understands what Silverlight is, can make your site simply stunning.