Chapter 1. Introduction

Silverlight is a web-based platform from Microsoft that can be used to build rich Internet applications (RIAs). Of the many new possibilities it enables, one receiving a lot of attention is its huge potential as a platform for building business applications. Despite its relative youth (having just reached its third birthday), it has achieved remarkable maturity, with its development progressing at a rapid rate—now at version 4. With just nine months separating versions 2 and 3, and a further nine months separating versions 3 and 4, its tremendous growth in that short time demonstrates the enormous amount of effort and commitment that Microsoft is pouring into Silverlight to bring it to the forefront as one of its core development platforms. Community support for the technology has been overwhelmingly positive, gaining more and more momentum as companies increasingly choose it over more mature platforms. This ensures its future as a viable platform for delivering applications that you can be sure will only grow and become ever more popular.

If you have previously only been exposed to Windows Forms and ASP.NET development, then it will no doubt be a brave new world and one with a steep learning curve, but ultimately the benefits make the initial effort worthwhile. However, with this book to help you through your journey, you should find that a lot of pain will be taken out of this learning curve, guiding you in the right direction while you build your first business application in Silverlight.