Microsoft continues to evolve its Silverlight cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for generating rich Internet applications and Web content, and users are anxiously awaiting the features due in the next release.

The Redmond, Wash., software giant released Silverlight 1.0 in September, along with a 1.1 update. Then on Nov. 29, Microsoft announced that it was renaming Silverlight 1.1 to Silverlight 2.0. And in addition to adding support for .NET, Microsoft is taking the next version of Silverlight further by adding a comprehensive control model, powerful skinning/theming, data binding and over 20 controls in the box, Microsoft said.

Although Microsoft has not set a specific date for when it will release Silverlight 2.0, the company expects to release a beta version with a Go-Live license during the first quarter of 2008—most likely in time for its MIX 08 conference in early March.

"Silverlight 2.0 is the version we're excited about," said Scott Stanfield, CEO of Vertigo Software, based in Point Richmond, Calif. "Although we are very active with our customers using Silverlight 1.0 today, you have to program it in JavaScript. Nothing against JavaScript—it's better than Flash's ActionScript; it's just the tools aren't as good as what we're used to with Visual Studio. Silverlight 2.0 gives us three things on our Christmas list: .NET language support, more UI [user interface] controls and hopefully, a larger installed base."

The prospect of Silverlight being an alternative to Adobe Systems' technology is attractive to several users.

Cynergy, an RIA (Rich Internet Application) development firm based in Washington D.C., has a long history in other RIA technologies, most recently with Adobe's Flex. "But we are incredibly excited by Silverlight," said Dave Wolf, vice president of Cynergy. The company announced the formation of a Silverlight practice last May.

"Historically Flex was the technology being used in the Lion's Share of our work, but Silverlight opens up some really interesting angles for us," Wolf said. "First off, there is no question that the Microsoft developer community is huge, passionate and for the most part they 'get' enterprise software development. Really the limiting reagent in growth in the RIA space has been having enough of a pool of RIA developers."

Wolf said he believes Adobe has traditionally had a strong design following, but a much more minimal developer pool.

"Their approach has been to focus on the Java community and move them into the Flex space, which has worked well for them," Wolf said of Adobe. "But with Silverlight that developer pool is huge and easily tapped. Microsoft themselves has their own challenge in getting designers to move into the fold."

Wolf said when Cynergy started as an RIA firm, the goal was be a holistic place customers could outsource entire RIA projects to. So they created their own design agency in-house.

"We've had great success in taking those designers and retooling them into the Microsoft tooling and approach," Wolf said. "It really combines to create a powerful sweet spot of a huge available pool of developers mixed in with our existing designers."

Wolf added that users and developers cannot forget Microsoft's WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). Many of Cynergy's Silverlight customers are also looking to provide both an online services based experience with a true desktop experience, Wolf said.

"Finally and more pragmatically, we know that Silverlight coming into this space is going to, and is already, pushing Adobe to respond and keep the innovation in the platform going ahead at full steam," Wolf said.

Next page: Users Itching for Silverlight 2.0