Is Silverlight programming worth learning?

[Arcadio]

I'm not sure if I should try to learn some Silverlight programming or just focus on improving my .NET and Java programming skills. Another option is to learn Flash, although I don't like it. What do you think?

 

[Ken g6]

I think Silverlight is about dead, and Flash is dying. I suggest you learn HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, and maybe jQuery.

 

[KB]

SilverlighT will continue to be used for mobile development on the windows phone, but is being phased out for general web development. Java and html5 with prove far more useful.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Right now Windows phones are a tiny sliver of the market compared to iOS and Android so there isn't much value in Silverlight for that unless your employer has bought into them for company use.

I'll second the recommendation for HTML5, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery for cross-platform. For mobile you might use your existing Java skills to pick up Android development.

 

[Glagorx]

I think Silverlight is about dead, and Flash is dying. I suggest you learn HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, and maybe jQuery.

That's totally same as my opinion. Flash isn't really dying because of it's wide usage but development of new things stopped so in near future (if nothing gonna happen to save Flash) will Flash start fading.

 

[Markbnj]

Just to echo what everyone else has already said: I started with Silverlight a couple of years ago because it was an alternative to Flash that used the technology stack I was already familiar with. It's still cool stuff, but the fact is that the world is rapidly moving on. What made sense for a world with laptops and desktops doesn't make as much sense in a world where most computers can fit in your pocket. HTML5 is the future of interactive apps on mobile browsers, so I would head in that direction.

 

[brandonb]

Its unfortunate, because unlike some of Microsofts technology, Silverlight is actually pretty well designed and powerful. I'd hate to see it go away. I never adopted it (I avoid web tech all together, as I find it clumbsy and unrefined) but it was a technology I wanted to get into myself.

 

[Stuxnet]

This is a tough call. Everyone says that HTML 5 will replace Silverlight, but HTML 5 and Silverlight aren't 100% overlapping technologies. There is a LOT that Silverlight can do that absolutely, positively cannot be accomplished via HTML 5 (and still achieve the same performance / user experience).

I wrote and maintain a very thick web-delivered imaging application using SL. There's no way we could have implemented the features and functionality through HTML 5 + AJAX and still achieved the same level of performance and usability... not to mention the nightmarish amount of Javascript that it would have taken to even come close.

That said, it does seem like Microsoft is abandoning it. And despite the project I just described, I'm not against Microsoft abandoning it. I'm sick and tired of idiot managers trying to shoehorn thick-client applications into web scenarios (usually because they don't understand the differences between the two). If you need thick-client performance and functionality, then write a thick-client application with WinForms, WPF, etc.

tldr; No, I wouldn't bother unless it's a requirement for your current job or your dream job. The benefit is that a lot of what you learn will transfer to thick-client development (WPF), so it's not a total loss.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I would look at HTML5 and/or Java before Silverlight. HTML5 is a W3C standard and is open which means you can target all platforms, not just MS.

 

[BigDH01]

This is a tough call. Everyone says that HTML 5 will replace Silverlight, but HTML 5 and Silverlight aren't 100% overlapping technologies. There is a LOT that Silverlight can do that absolutely, positively cannot be accomplished via HTML 5 (and still achieve the same performance / user experience).

I wrote and maintain a very thick web-delivered imaging application using SL. There's no way we could have implemented the features and functionality through HTML 5 + AJAX and still achieved the same level of performance and usability... not to mention the nightmarish amount of Javascript that it would have taken to even come close.

That said, it does seem like Microsoft is abandoning it. And despite the project I just described, I'm not against Microsoft abandoning it. I'm sick and tired of idiot managers trying to shoehorn thick-client applications into web scenarios (usually because they don't understand the differences between the two). If you need thick-client performance and functionality, then write a thick-client application with WinForms, WPF, etc.

tldr; No, I wouldn't bother unless it's a requirement for your current job or your dream job. The benefit is that a lot of what you learn will transfer to thick-client development (WPF), so it's not a total loss.

I agree with this. If I had to learn something, it would be HTML, Javascript, CSS, and some sort of server-side language.

However, there are things that you can do with Silverlight that are extremely difficult or cumbersome to replicate elsewhere. This is especially true if you look at some 3rd party software packages and RIA services. You can do things extremely quickly and easily and make it look very nice.

The last full website I completed included a combination of AJAX with ASP.NET MVC and Silverlight for a calendaring system provided by Telerik. If you can do both, you can go a lot farther in my opinion.

 

[dwell]

Silverlight is being used to develop Xbox apps. It's pretty much dead as a web plugin. Avoid Flash at all costs.

 

[beginner99]

Silverlight is being used to develop Xbox apps. It's pretty much dead as a web plugin. Avoid Flash at all costs.

I actually yet to see a website using silver light, besides MS itself.

 

[ktehmok]

Guess I will drop my flash class this spring. Glad I read this.

 

[N4g4rok]

I actually yet to see a website using silver light, besides MS itself.

Netflix and Youtube were using it for their mobile apps, and i'm pretty sure Netflix is still using it for the main streaming site.