Tags: Adobe, Linux, Microsoft

Microsoft Silverlight might support Linux and mobile platform

Microsoft just recently unveiled their Adobe Flash competitor Silverlight technology. They have made available a test release of the Silverlight plug-in for web browsers and Expression Studio for developing content using the technology.

Forrester Research analyst Jeffrey Hammond spoke about the necessity for Microsoft to launch this new technology: “They’re competing for the next generation of eyeballs. Microsoft correctly understands that these technologies are where the next generation of user interface design is going to happen.”

Microsoft would be delivering the first stable version of the Silverlight sometime later this year and it would come with support for Microsoft’s Ajax library, a JavaScript engine, and the ability to play WMV, WMA, and MP3 files.

Silverlight would also come with the ability to execute code written in .Net languages C# and Visual Basic .Net.

Microsoft added that an updated release after version 1 would add controls for layout and editing, digital rights management capabilities. It would also then support a dynamic language runtime that will let developers code for Silverlight in languages like Ruby and Python. This would enable the developers to extra information from databases for use in their interactive applications.

The company has also said that they might consider bringing the technology to the Linux and Mobile platform provided there is enough demand for it.

Microsoft would also continue to work on the Expression Studio suite which comes loaded with several applications like Expression Web, a Web site design tool, Expression Design, a graphics editor; and Expression Media, a multimedia asset manager and editor.