Introducing Silverlight 1.1

Comparing Silverlight  1.0 and 1.1

Comparing Silverlight 1.1 and WPF

Silverlight 1.1 framework model

“Rich Internet Applications” RIA

• One of the primary benefits of Rich Internet Applications is that they can offer user-interface behaviors that are not obtainable using only the HTML controls available in standard browser-based web applications. With a RIA platform, web applications are no longer limited by what the browser can do.
• Client/server balance. RIAs shift the balance of computing resources for web applications from the server to the client.
• Asynchronous communication. The RIA client engine can interact with the server asynchronously. Similar to what Ajax is doing on the Web today.
• Network efficiency. Network traffic may also be significantly reduced in a RIA because an application-specific client engine can be more intelligent than a standard web browser when deciding what data needs to be exchanged with servers. Transferring less data for each interaction can speed up individual requests and responses, in turn reducing overall network load.

Shortcomings of RIA

• Sandbox. Because RIAs run within a sandbox, they have restricted access to system resources. If users modify their systems or have reduced permissions that alter a RIA’s ability to access system resources, RIAs may fail to operate correctly.
• Loss of visibility to search engines. Search engines may not be able to index the text content of RIA applications. This can be a major problem for web applications that depend on search engine visibility for their success.
• Dependence on an Internet connection. While the ideal network-enabled replacement for a desktop application would allow users to be “occasionally connected,” wandering in and out of hotspots or from office to office, today the typical RIA requires network connectivity.
• Disabled scripting. RIAs usually require JavaScript or another scripting language to operate on the client. If the user has disabled active scripting in his browser, the RIA may not function properly, if at all. (e.g. Ajax)

 

Via – Introducing Silverlight 1.1 

Print ISBN-10: 0-596-51583-9

by Todd Anglin