On 13 October, 2008 Microsoft announced that Silverlight 2.0 will be available for download on Tuesday, 14 October 2008. Silverlight 2 delivers a wide range of new features and tools that enable designers and developers to better collaborate while creating more accessible, more discoverable and more secure user experiences. Microsoft also announced that it will help French open-source project that will help Silverlight developers to write application using open-source Eclipse framework. This project also help Eclipse developers to share their Silverlight applications with developers working with Microsoft Visual Studio for developing Silverlight applications.
Microsoft is also releasing for free a set of programming templates called the Silverlight Control Pack under its Microsoft Permissive License. Microsoft also releasing the technical specification for Silverlight’s Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) and users using free edition of Visual Web Developer can also write Silverlight applications.
Microsoft Silverlight 2.0 features
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.NET Framework support with a rich base class library: This is a compatible subset of the full .NET Framework.
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Powerful built-in controls: These include DataGrid, ListBox, Slider, ScrollViewer, Calendar controls and more.
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Advanced skinning and templating support: This makes it easy to customize the look and feel of an application.
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Deep zoom: This enables unparalleled interactivity and navigation of ultrahigh resolution imagery.
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Comprehensive networking support: Out-of-the-box support allows calling REST, WS*/SOAP, POX, RSS and standard HTTP services, enabling users to create applications that easily integrate with existing back-end systems.
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Expanded .NET Framework language support: Unlike other runtimes, Silverlight 2 supports a variety of programming languages, including Visual Basic, C#, JavaScript, IronPython and IronRuby, making it easier for developers already familiar with one of these languages to repurpose their existing skill sets.
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Advanced content protection: This now includes Silverlight DRM, powered by PlayReady, offering robust content protection for connected Silverlight experiences.
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Improved server scalability and expanded advertiser support: This includes new streaming and progressive download capabilities, superior search engine optimization techniques, and next-generation in-stream advertising support.
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Vibrant partner ecosystem: Visual Studio Industry Partners such as ComponentOne LLC, Infragistics Inc. and Telerik Inc. are providing products that further enhance developer capabilities when creating Silverlight applications using Visual Studio.
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Cross-platform and cross-browser support: This includes support for Mac, Windows and Linux in Firefox, Safari and Windows Internet Explorer.
Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president of the .NET Developer Division at Microsoft Said,
We launched Silverlight just over a year ago, and already one in four consumers worldwide has access to a computer with Silverlight already installed. Silverlight represents a radical improvement in the way developers and designers build applications on the Web. This release will further accelerate our efforts to make Silverlight, Visual Studio and Microsoft Expression Studio the preeminent solutions for the creation and delivery of media and rich Internet application experiences.
Buffolano, general manager and vice president, Digital Programming and Subscription, CBS Interactive-Sports, Said
CBS College Sports Network streams more than 20,000 hours of live content annually for our 150-plus college and university official athletic partners, so we demand that our video player environment be both consumer friendly and robust. Silverlight was the perfect choice to help develop and power our new, exclusive online collegiate sports experience, as it features the best price and performance of any streaming media solution on the market today. Silverlight also gives us the most flexibility in expanding the product in the future as we develop embeddable players and mobile platforms and explore new advertising integration opportunities.
Miguel de Icaza, vice president, Engineering, Novell, Said
The Silverlight Control Pack under the Microsoft Permissive License really addresses the needs of developers by enabling them to learn how advanced controls are authored directly from the high-quality Microsoft implementation. By using the OSP for the Silverlight vocabulary, they further solidify their commitment to interoperability. I am impressed with the progress Microsoft continues to make, and we are extremely satisfied with the support for Moonlight and the open source community.
Keith Morrow, chief information officer, Blockbuster, Said
We wanted to build a cutting-edge, rich Internet application that enables our customers to search our vast database of content and metadata so they can access movie reviews, watch high-quality movie trailers, and either rent or buy movies from our new MovieLink application. Because Silverlight 2 now includes several new rich controls such as data grids and advanced skinning capabilities, as well as support for the .NET Framework, allowing us to access our existing Web services, we were able to easily maintain the high standards of the Blockbuster brand and bring the application to market in record time.
Source : Microsoft Releases Silverlight 2, Already Reaching One in Four Consumers Worldwide
