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Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#51

Post by loewenskind »

Qz wrote: post #39
loewenskind wrote: post #33

No. We tried this already with Java applets. The fact that MS didn't cancel Silverlight the instant HTML5 started getting traction is yet another sign that they just can't follow what's going on (having made it to begin with is another).

From what I hear, it's basically their dev platform for WP7, in the same way that Apple hasn't canceled CocoaTouch and google hasn't binned Android. HTML5 is not the be all end all of the internet (yet).

Silverlight is like Java applets, not like CocoaTouch or Android. With such bizarre unrelated comparisons why didn't you also point out that Ford still makes the Mustang?

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#52

Post by avar »

jasonkester wrote: post #15

There are just so few sites that require Sliverlight that I find myself mildly offended when I come across one that tries to make me install it. Who are you, telling me to install something just to view your website? Good day, sir. Funny that that's never been my experience with Flash. Flash sites are horrible and I avoid them if I can, but Flash can socially engineer its way onto my machine through cool little in-br…

Bing Maps requires Silverlight for some features. I found that out when I tried Bing recently, but found that Microsoft is more interested in pushing their own technology than pushing their search engine.

Microsoft also recently did a project with NASA that requires Silverlight. Thanks, Microsoft.

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#53

Post by recoiledsnake »

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #26
phamilton wrote: post #25

Netflix watch instantly needs it. No way around that.

Use an iPad, iPhone, Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3.

Interestingly, all of those platforms are locked down by the companies that manufacture them. A case of the cure being worse than the disease.

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#54

Post by jasonkester »

atomical wrote: post #43
jasonkester wrote: post #15

There are just so few sites that require Sliverlight that I find myself mildly offended when I come across one that tries to make me install it. Who are you, telling me to install something just to view your website? Good day, sir. Funny that that's never been my experience with Flash. Flash sites are horrible and I avoid them if I can, but Flash can socially engineer its way onto my machine through cool little in-br…

"Funny that that's never been my experience with Flash. Flash sites are horrible and I avoid them if I can, but Flash can socially engineer its way onto my machine through cool little in-browser games, whereas Silverlight just wants to "enhance" my viewing of MSDN." I have played quite a few Silverlight games. Why the attitude towards something that adds more functionality?

It's the "why" that makes it funny for me. I have no idea why I mind Flash less than Silverlight. It certainly has nothing to do with Microsoft.

Maybe it's that there's already a Flash. And I already downloaded it and installed it. If you want to give me Flash-like content, go nuts, but do it with the Flash that I already have. There's no real reason to have built a second one, so I don't see any reason why I should have to install it. So I don't.

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#55

Post by robryan »

I don't see the harm in it, it actually was built with JavaScript and then they decided to move away from that after version 1.

I think the reality is that the kind of support you can get through it for certain applications is unlikely to eventuate in HTML5 any time soon and for .net developers that want any of this functionality it makes much more sense to use it than flash.

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#56

Post by hx »

reitzensteinm wrote: post #11
RK wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Firefox 3.6 on Ubuntu 10.4 and the site said: Your installed version of Silverlight is: 0.0.00000.0 So I'm guessing no...

I do not understand what's going through the mind of a developer who makes a site to display a software version number and does not have a special case for not installed . Incredible.

No, they have a special case for not installed...you just need silverlight to display it.

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#57

Post by hx »

barrettcolin wrote: post #49
barrettcolin wrote: post #5

The Steam hardware survey: http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey now includes software, which includes Silverlight.

I think at one point the survey listed the number of samples; now it just seems to be percentages which isn't as useful. Anecdotally the survey has a lot of respondents (as in, a majority of the Steam userbase) but you never know.

Realistically the Steam survey is likely to be better & more accurate than anything else out there. (Thats aside from the obvious gamer bias)

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#58

Post by robryan »

jasonkester wrote: post #54
atomical wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Funny that that's never been my experience with Flash. Flash sites are horrible and I avoid them if I can, but Flash can socially engineer its way onto my machine through cool little in-browser games, whereas Silverlight just wants to "enhance" my viewing of MSDN." I have played quite a few Silverlight games. Why the attitude towards something that adds more functionality?

It's the "why" that makes it funny for me. I have no idea why I mind Flash less than Silverlight. It certainly has nothing to do with Microsoft. Maybe it's that there's already a Flash. And I already downloaded it and installed it. If you want to give me Flash-like content, go nuts, but do it with the Flash that I already have. There's no real reason to have built a second one, so I don't see any reason why I should…

For a .net developer, using silverlight to tie into things they already have makes a lot more sense than flash which would result in a somewhat parallel code base in something completely different.

I guess if silverlight was the accepted plugin and flash was the newer player your feelings would be reversed.

Re: Poll: Do you have Silverlight installed?

#59

Post by aerique »

gruseom wrote: post #35
pan69 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess he was making a site to get the Silverlight version, not whether it was installed or not.

Perhaps he is a Javascript programmer who thinks that zero means no.

You have zero cakes. Can you give me one?
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