Indeed, will it do so? I like Silverlight a lot; though I appreciate that to a Flash developer it may seem pointless. It does a lot of stuff right: small download, powerful layout language, cross-platform (with caveats), rich media, fast just-in-time compiled code.<\/p>\n
Still, what intrigues me is how Silverlight has come from nowhere to what seems to be a central position in Microsoft\u2019s product strategy in just a few years. What\u2019s the business case? Or is it just that someone high up experienced a moment of horror – \u201cFlash is taking over in web media and browser-hosted applications, we gotta do something\u201d?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s eliminate a few things. It\u2019s not the design and developer tools. Making a profit from tools is hard, with tough competition both from open source, and from commercial companies giving away tools to promote other products. I don\u2019t know how Microsoft\u2019s figures look for the Expression<\/a> range, but I\u2019m guessing they bleed red, irrespective of their quality. Visual Studio may just about be a profit centre (though the Express series is free); but Silverlight is only a small corner of what it does.<\/p>\n Nor is it the runtime. Adobe can\u2019t charge for Flash; Microsoft can\u2019t charge for Silverlight.<\/p>\n I asked Twitter<\/a> for some ideas. Here are some of the responses:<\/p>\n migueldeicaza @timanderson, my guesses:WinServer built-in-steaming;Strengthening .NET ecosystem, and client-server interactions;Keep share in RIA space<\/p>\n IanBlackburn @timanderson Isn’t Silverlight going to become the "Microsoft Client" and central to s+s? Apps built with it can be charged in many way<\/p>\n harbars @timanderson no doubt with annoying adverts<\/p>\n mickael @timanderson isn’t silverlight a defensive move against other RIA platforms (like Adobe’s one)? They might only plan selling developmt tools<\/p>\n jonhoneyball @timanderson In the long term by hosting tv stations’ internet traffic and providing the charging\/hosting\/download\/player model.<\/p>\n jonhoneyball @timanderson ie azure cloud + silverlight + someone elses content = ms revenue. no, it wont work, but its not unexpected ms-think.<\/p>\n jonhoneyball @timanderson why no work? price war to come on cloud host\/delivery etc Someone will host BBC for free. Game over<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n There are two main themes here. One is media streaming; as the Internet takes over an increasing proportion of broadcasting and media delivery (note recent comments on Spotify<\/a>) Microsoft plans to profit from server-side services. The challenges here are that there may be little money to be made; Adobe has a firm grip on this already; and Apple will do its own thing.<\/p>\n The other is about applications. This is the bit that makes sense to me. Microsoft knows that the era of Windows desktop clients, while not over, is in long-term decline; and that applies to applications like Office as well as custom business applications. Silverlight is a strong client platform for web-based alternatives. So I\u2019m voting for Ian Blackburn\u2019s comment above: it\u2019s the Microsoft Client.<\/p>\n If that\u2019s right, we\u2019ll see Silverlight embed itself into more and more of Microsoft\u2019s products, from desktop to server, just as Adobe is gradually remaking everything it does around Flash.<\/p>\n The difference is that Microsoft has far more invested in the status quo: selling Windows and Office. I\u2019m guessing that there are heated internal battles around things like Web Office. The briefing I attended at the 2008 PDC on Office Web Applications was fascinating in respect of its ambivalence; for every web feature shown, the presenters wanted to emphasise that desktop Office was still the thing you should have.<\/p>\n Indeed, will it do so? I like Silverlight a lot; though I appreciate that to a Flash developer it may seem pointless. It does a lot of stuff right: small download, powerful layout language, cross-platform (with caveats), rich media, fast just-in-time compiled code. Still, what intrigues me is how Silverlight has come from nowhere to … Continue reading How will Microsoft make money from Silverlight?<\/span> \n