Most of us got excited when Microsoft introduced its free web-browser plug-in, Silverlight, in 2007. This plug-in allows incorporating rich graphics within the business application. It even let developers do numerous amazing things, like transforming static and dull SQL reporting dashboards into interactive an engaging displays for business intelligence.
For all such reasons, most of us spent our lots of time and money investing in this technology and even found it worthwhile. But since then there is no update on this technology. Even Microsoft has not the pre-announced launch of its new version. Hence, this leaves us in a dilemma that whether this plug-in will be able to serve the advanced technological requirements or not.
In this condition, one popular choice left with most of us is ‘shifting to HTML5.’
If you too are in this confusion and seeking an appropriate answer to this problem then we have addressed it in this post in the most comprehensive way. Check this post to know that whether you must shift from Silverlight to HTML5 or not!
There are plenty of key areas to focus on when shifting from Silverlight Web Development to HTML5. While two of them have lots of differences, there are also some similarities between the two. To make a well-informed decision, you need to focus on both aspects.
First, let’s check the similarities between these two technologies.
Silverlight and HTML5 – The Similarities
In first glance, Silverlight and HTMl5 are similar in a number of ways.
ÂEase of Deployment
An important concern, particularly for Windows developers is deployment. This is a major challenge for developers working in large or mid-sized companies. They experience lots of troubles when deploying for desktop applications because they need runtime support of version to make updates on every machine. For this reason, developers always prefer an easy deployment solution.
Silverlight and HTML5 both tend to be good solutions in this context. Silverlight is structured for seamless deployment and is convenient to get updates from the users. Similarly, HTML5 offers an equally promising deployment scenario and ensures that its customers have convenient access to the latest browsers. In addition to this, HTML5 offers broad support like Firefox support, Chrome, and IE9 support.
This is the only similarity between the plug-ins. This similarity can be noticed only from a broader aspect. If we now focus deeply then there are lots of differences between the two. Understanding or comparing both the plug-ins will help you make a final decision.
Silverlight and HTML5 – The Differences
User Experience
The user experience involved the desired level of user interactivity, performance speed, and visual appeal of the interface.
The Silverlight web development delivers a rich and appealing visual experience, particularly for streaming videos. For this reason, even Netflix uses it.
If we talk about HTML5, then it didn’t work well during the initial days. But with third-party associations like Highcharts and Kendo UI, there has been a drastic enhancement in terms of feel and look of the UI. HTML5 provides excellent choices for business intelligence visualizations. If Microsoft support ends for Silverlight, then there is a possibility that big names like Netflix may also shift to HTML5.
So, if you talk about user interface then switching to HTML5 from Silverlight will be a good decision.
ÂEase of Development
From a developer’s perspective, learning Silverlight is a challenge for some developers. However, coding in HTML5 involves a shorter time of development. It is because it delivers easy and fast integration with novel Microsoft web technologies, like ASP.NET Web API. This offers lightweight restful based services rather than conventional SOAP/WSDL based ones.
If you are shifting from Silverlight to HTML5 then this can simplify work for you, particularly if you leverage frameworks from client end like KnockoutJS to link data. This implies there is lesser code available to support in the long run. HTML5 is easier and cleaner to read than XAML. Additionally, it involves the low cost of development and offers support to HTML5 based applications.
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Flexibility
On a general note, most of the software planners and developers believe that Silverlight comes for a limited time period only and most of the novel 3rd party integrations are development are carrying around HTML5. Hence, if you shift from Silverlight to HTML5 then it will enable more flexibility in terms of choice of components.
The best thing about HTML5 is that it is a cross-platform and cross-device technology that serves greater flexibility in the deployment as well as the potential for reusable code regardless of the operating system platform.
Most of the modern browsers today now possess native support for HTML5. However, the browser-based plugins are now on their way.
Limitations and Other Important Considerations for Silverlight
If you need mobile deployment then Silverlight will serve you limited functionality. Presently, this technology is supported only on Windows Phone. Might be, it is supported on the other platforms in the future, but this is not for sure. It is not something that will happen in the short-term. In the present scenario, mobile users can use Silverlight web development only for Windows Phone devices.
If developers lack control over their mobile customers, then the only viable option is to use HTML5. This technology is supported by Android 3, iOS, and Windows.
However, in terms of functionality Silverlight may deliver better performance as compared to HTML5. Over a couple of months, a hardware solution has been implemented by Microsoft Silverlight 5. Hence, it may deliver better performance over HTML5 on novel machines. But this does not mean that HTML5 will not catch up. It is already on its way.
One aspect of HTML5, which is a matter of high concern among some developers, is that it is a standard-based environment. For example, if a developer works on the Microsoft stack, he will be aware of and have a huge appreciation for standards. But this is based on the aspect that Microsoft will be around for a while. Therefore, there is no disinclination to accept proprietary technologies from Microsoft.
Furthermore, Silverlight offers a considerable benefit over HTML5. It is that 90 to 95% of its code can be shared with different desktop applications. This is of great use for those with a full-fledged desktop application as it brings a great solution to get online.
In HTML5, it is easier for developers to keep separate UI and hold a business layer. But for this, you need to write some really good UI codes on the two platforms. As a result, this requires more effort and enables no code sharing.
A Closer Look
If we take a closer examination, the functional similarities between Silverlight and HTML5 will tend to dissolve. The primary reason for this is that Silverlight is more suitable for intranet applications, which have quite some control over the deployment environment than for real Web-based deployment.
On taking a deeper look at the deployment aspect of Silverlight, it is still not an authentic end-user solution. So, if the purpose of the developer is to have application users download based on Silverlight, then the developer must have a clear picture of its customers. It must be ensured that the customer must have a system, which can run Silverlight.
But for intranet applications, where developers don’t have much control over its machines, they may not have some degree of control required for desktop applications. But in this case, they know that the applications are capable of executing Silverlight. This offer developers a great sense of flexibility.
Microsoft incorporates amazing tools, which make it convenient to build as well as deploy applications with Silverlight. In this scenario, HTML5 needs a little bit more work. If you are sure that your deployment situation is quite familiar to you, then Silverlight technology is more suitable.
On the other hand, HTML5 needs support from the present web-application tools. If you are developing applications in ASP.NET, then it needs support from Visual Studio.NET, which is the case for many platforms.
On a Concluding Note
It is essential for developers to select tools with a clear aim in mind. This will ensure that make an appropriate pick. Selecting the correct tool based on one’s preferences will reduce the likelihood of making costly mistakes.
For instance, if developers are comfortable using Silverlight, so select it, but only after exploring and confirming everything that they can do with the application.
In certain cases, it is ok to go ahead with Silverlight as long as the technology is able to serve properly. But eventually, HTML5 will be the answer to all applications and platforms. As already everyone says, it is the future. Hence, a decision has to be made to go in that specific direction.
So, make a well-informed decision and if Silverlight is not able to meet your growing needs, then it is a perfect time to switch to HTML5 technology.
If still, you have confusions between the two technologies, then it is better to consult an expert and take necessary help.
