by Morgan McCullough

Before making the choice to use Silverlight or any other development tool, it is always important to examine the requirements and trade-offs.

Because Silverlight is a Web technology that allows the creation of rich Internet applications, it is positioned to offer many of the same benefits as a traditional Web application. The application can be centrally located and managed, and because it is accessible over the Web, can be used through corporate firewalls and does not require installation on client machines. Also, there is less need to move data around between disparate systems and a single interface can greatly simplify data access and security management. In general, Web applications are more manageable, highly deployable, easier to secure, and very often less expensive overall.

In light of all this, the question becomes what Silverlight offers above and beyond a traditional Web application that uses a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the client experience. In a business environment where Web applications have become commonplace, the capabilities of Silverlight must be compelling enough to make it worth the cost of time and resources. As with any new technology, the reality is that working with it effectively takes an investment for the development team to become familiar with its capabilities and pitfalls. An existing development team may be able to produce a traditional Web application with many of the same features as a Silverlight application in a shorter amount of time if you factor in time lost to research and study. Continue reading →