Silverlight is a wonderful scripting tool which can be used to create incredible web applications that are extremely simple to use and extremely efficient. It allows programmers to write Windows-based applications that run in a browser. The software has been used by businesses large and small for the creation of various applications, including a wide range of weather and news services. Microsoft has been steadily releasing versions of Silverlight and now the software is open source which means that anyone with an Internet connection can obtain it for free.
Silverlight was originally developed by Microsoft as a scripting system that was compatible with their Windows operating system. This was a brilliant idea because Windows was already the most popular web browser around at the time. There are two versions of Silverlight which you can use to download. One is open source which means that you are able to use it freely on any PC that is capable of running Internet Explorer, the other is commercial. This means that you have to purchase an application that will allow you to use Silverlight directly from the Internet but the downside is that if you do not own the software you may have to pay a fee to get access to it. Luckily, this only costs around $20 but you should research all the companies before you make a decision as to which one is the best for you.
Another reason that you may want to get Silverlight for free is that it's so easy to use. You'll be able to create all types of web applications that were previously impossible to create because of the sheer complexity involved. For example, you will be able to create a file viewer using Silverlight that will allow you to display pictures in a variety of formats right on your website. Once you have this open you can simply add other features that you would like to include such as Google maps, and you can do this for free.
