Today at the 2007 National Association of Broadcasters conference (NAB2007), Microsoft and Adobe have gone tit for tat with product launches that directly target one another. Our previous post covered Adobe's launch of a new Internet video solution, that competes with Microsoft's Windows Media Player. And Microsoft has fired right back, unveiling Microsoft Silverlight - a re-branding of their WPF/E technology (Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere). In its announcement, Microsoft describes Silverlight as a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering media and rich interactive applications (RIAs) for the Web. So basically it is Microsoft's equivalent to Adobe's Flash.
Also, as is usual when Microsoft launches a new media product these days, they have brought on board a number of high profile partners. In this case they include Akamai Technologies Inc., Brightcove Inc., Eyeblaster Inc., Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball and Netflix Inc.
More details on Tim Sneath's Microsoft blog. Ryan Stewart also has a good write-up, noting that "Silverlight finally gives Microsoft an easy web video solution."
What are we to make of the sudden increase in Microsoft vs Adobe competition? The world of RIAs is increasing in importance, as Internet users seek out better "experiences" - both in the browser and outside it, and both online and offline. While Google is happy to utilize Ajax in the browser as its RIA weapon of choice, Microsoft and Adobe are busy battling it out in the 'richer' products - which either extend the browser or utilize the desktop.
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Microsoft Silverlight Takes On Adobe's Flash.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.readwriteweb.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2133
Microsoft today announced Silverlight, a new cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the Read More
Microsoft has launched their re-branded rich internet application (RIA), Microsoft Silverlight, in direct competition with Adobe Flash. Considering Adobe’s current domination of the marketplace it will be interesting to see what type of an impact... Read More
After lurking in the shadow of it's codename for several months Silverlight has finally been announced Read More
Microsoft has taken the covers off it’s high-def Flash competitor, Silverlight. The browser plugin is available for Windows & Mac for IE, Safari & Firefox (but not Opera for some reason). It’s still only the February WPF... Read More
Yesterday in the Web 2.0 Expo booths, I checked out Bungee Labs - an ambitious new on-demand, web-based development environment that enables developers to build and deploy web apps that utilize the large variety of APIs and web services out... Read More
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all Read/WriteWeb posts
It is on10 now!
Posted by: Srikanth Bhakthan | April 16, 2007 5:03 AMNot flash -- flex.
Posted by: Julian | April 16, 2007 5:55 AMWell, we have been expecting this one comming! So we are tunned for more news these days :)
Posted by: ajaxus | April 16, 2007 8:08 AMthis is about web video, but it's also about display web advertising, which is mostly done in Flash.
Posted by: Hashim | April 16, 2007 8:08 AMNo comment.. Microsoft & Web Standards
Posted by: macat | April 16, 2007 8:27 AMhttp://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/default_01.aspx
The battle is definitely on between Adobe and Microsoft. They are the 2 heavyweights in the RIA arena. Adobe has been leading just by presence, but now Microsoft if making more of a presence.
I am eager to see more traction so we can continue seeing who will dominate!
I would like to see more comparisons of true features and how they help you faster achieve business goals.
Posted by: Web 2.0 Squad | April 16, 2007 9:43 AM@macat #5: Just to be fair...
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/
;)
Posted by: Josh | April 16, 2007 9:56 AMI found some quite amuzing things from watching the promotional video.
1) the one guy looks like the mac guy.
2)half-way into it, you'll someone using a device much like the iPhone.
Not sure if either of these are intentional, but you will be able to run WPF/e on Macs, so possibly you will be able to run the runtime in the browser on the iPhone or any other smart phone for that matter.
Definitely makes it open to write some cool apps.
Posted by: Michael | April 16, 2007 10:06 AMI hate to say it, but Microsoft will probably render Flash useless in about two years. They’ll offer MAJOR insentives to YouTube to switch to their format and the rest will follow. Google owns YouTube, so Adobe should be on the phone right now, offering to blow all their cocks. Adobe has something to lose, not Microsoft. And Microsoft doesn’t blow cock. Instead, they pound asses. Long and strong, check out my dong.
Posted by: fred | April 16, 2007 1:40 PMGood on Microsoft. There's never been a direct competitor to flash (sorry too all who have made libraries, but javascript just can't compete in the eye candy stakes). i quite like flash, my only beef with is the $$ factor. Having a competitor will drive down the price of software.
while people dont like installing more plugin, the fact it's a major distributer like Microsoft is all good (unlike someone like real, blleeeeeh). also i imagine it'll come standard with IE8 + Microsoft update.
good news :)
Posted by: Steve Boyd | April 17, 2007 4:21 PMI have to chime in here to say that although Microsoft has a tremendous amount of leverage having fathered the most widely used consumer operating system on the planet. It's also true that Adobe fathered the web as it is today. Adobe's already got it's footprint on nearly 100% of browsing computers out there, which I think is much more pivotal from the standpoint of Adobe being able to deeply new technologies without a slow adoption rate. Let's face it, when I went to check out Silverlight with FireFox, I couldn't get anywhere and had to fire up internet explorer. That's symbolic of good old Microsoft in my opinion.
Take things a step further and look at Apollo, which again is going to cross operating system bridges and allow almost developers to use local (PC) resources to take RIAs to the next level. Microsoft has always had a problem rolling out software for other platforms. They still make it hard enough for us to run virtual pc (or the like) to QA our web sites in their old browsers as it is.
Posted by: Frederick Townes | April 21, 2007 12:44 AM