Silverlight difference faqs-1 1.Difference between ASP.NET and Silverlight S.No 1 ASP.NET ASP.

NET is Microsoft's technology for developing dynamic web application using .NET languages like VB.NET or C#. The code is executed on the web server and the results are sent to the users browser. This is comparable to the way a web site would be done with the PHP language. ASP.NET uses AJAX to improve performance in the browser by making post backs and calls between the browser and server asynchronously. ASP.NET AJAX uses new builtin types and controls and JavaScript. Asp.net is not platform independent. Silverlight Silverlight is Microsoft technology for developing Rich Internet Applications. It is a browser plug-in that allows code from .NET languages to be run in the users browsers making it easier to develop graphically rich applications without having to constantly go back and forth between the browser and the server. This is comparable to Adobe's Flash technology. Unlike ASP.NET, the bulk of Silverlight processing occurs on the client machine thus decreasing server resource utilization and improving the Web experience on the client. There is no concept of Post back in Silverlight. Silverlight is delivered as a crossplatform and cross-browser plug-in that exposes a programming framework and features that are a subset of the .NET Framework and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Silverlight is a client-side framework geared at providing a rich user experience and/or other capabilities such as video streaming. In Silverlight most processing happens from the client side. Silverlight is a free plug-in that encompasses a subset of functionality from the .NET Framework and WPF.Silverlight runs in the browser as a "sandbox" - a secure zone installed into the

ASP.NET is a server framework for building dynamic web applications. In Asp.net most processing happens from the server side.

Both ASP.NET and ASP.NET AJAX are heavily dependent upon the ASP.NET page event life cycle, are tightly coupled to the server.

browser that accommodates Silverlight functionality while completely protecting the host platform from any possibly adverse actions performed by Silverlight 6 7 Asp.net can be hosted in IIS. ASP.NET is Microsoft's competitor to JSP/JSF and the successor to classic ASP Silverlight can be hosted in IIS & Apache. Silverlight is Microsoft's competitor to Adobe Flash and Flex. Basically, a standalone runtime running inside a browser allowing animation, real-time 2D and vector rendering, etc

2.Difference between WPF and Silverlight

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WPF WPF is mainly used for creating desktop applications. WPF extends support for advanced features of Windows OS. Few among those features are: 3D, complete documentation support and hardware acceleration. WPF includes extensive collection of data binding properties.

Silverlight Silverlight is prominent for creating web based applications. The advanced features of Windows OS namely 3D, complete documentation support and hardware acceleration are not supported in Silverlight. Silverlight does not support many data binding properties that are supported by WPF. Few properties that are not supported by Silverlight are ElementName, RelativeSource, UpdateSourceTrigger The x:type is not available in Silverlight.

In WPF, the custom markup extensions are supported through the markup extension support x:type. In WPF, the items that are added to the control named TabControl will be wrapped automatically within the TabItem. WPF provides routed commands and all its controls

In Silverlight, the items that are added to the control named TabControl will not be wrapped automatically within the TabItem. Silverlight does not provide routed commands or Command property.

are linked to commands using the property called Command.

Silverlight provides only an interface called ICommand. The developers have to create classes that implement this interface and the custom behavior has to be defined within the class. Silverlight does not offer input binding support.

WPF offers input binding support.

3.Difference between HTML 5 and Silverlight S.No 1 HTML 5 Silverlight

HTML5 needs to integrate On the other hand, Silverlight can CSS3 and JavaScript to add its be programmed without getting effects to web pages. error prone due to usage of a statically typed .Net language. It is easier to program in Silver light. While HTML5 is more resource Silverlight has a disadvantage in friendly. This is the primary that it consumes a lot of hardware reason which Apple has given resources of our device for not including support for technologies other than HTML5. When HTML5 will be fully standardized it is likely to get better support from all the newer versions of different browsers. HTML5 uses multiple codecs to run videos on the browsers that are not considered in the Apples bloc. HTML5 video quality is not that crisp as other competitors and its lack of ability to provide video content of various quality levels on various bandwidths to the user is also a hindrance in getting the message across to low data rate users. On the other hand, newer browsers would have to be compatible with older versions of Silverlight in order to get the proper functioning. Silver light always needs a plug-in for any case and would not even run on iPhone and iPad. Silverlight offers good video quality and also provide video content of various quality levels on various bandwidths to the user.

HTML5 pages, when designed, Silver light works just like a plug-in. should be compatible with all We can simply add the functionality the browsers. to for any browser. While HTML5 being more tilted Silverlight application is not easy to

towards open source is a relatively easy target of stealing code. The divisions of JavaScript and HTML are clearly marked so it is easy to view and understand the code. 8 At present HTML5 doesnt provide direct support for these devices. However there are some difficult ways to get around this in HTML5. HTML5, like its predecessors facilitates search engines to crawl through its content and get maximum exposure for the website.Therefore,HTML5 is suitable for online business websites or those sites which require traffic through search engines.

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Silverlight supports microphone and web cam and thus renders a number of rich interactive applications. Silverlight is not popular in the SEO community. At present the content of Silverlight is not indexed by search engines.Therefore,Silverlight is not suitable for online business websites or those sites which require traffic through search engines.

4.Difference between Flash and Silverlight S.No 1 Flash The animation model is frame based. Silverlight Animation - Silverlight supports the WPF animation model, which is not only time based instead of frame based, but lets you define the start and end conditions and it will figure out how to get there for you. No need to deal with matrixes like in flash. Also no need to calculate positions on various frames. It just works.

Flash stores its shapes using Silverlight uses XAML. XAML is binary shape records.In order text based and can be output using to write shape definitions, you a simple XML object. will need to either license a 3rd party Flash file format SDK, or build your own. It is not too difficult, but it does require a bit of a learning curve. The debugging with flash is harder than Silverlight. Dealing with fonts is fairly complex with flash. The debugging with Silverlight is simpler than with flash. Silverlight lets you embed true type font information directly into your

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projects, and download that information with the downloader object. 5 Only Action Script can be used as programming tool in Flash. Rich set of development languages are available for Silverlight. Developer can use JavaScript as well as managed code VB.Net, C# for Silverlight development XAML is declarative while ActionScript is imperative. Using imperative languages to build UIs goes back to the early days of DOS and Windows, when developers had to manage all of the API nuances when interacting with graphical panes. Web Services support for Silverlight Streaming Additional Support for mobile devices with desktop and desktop browsers:Silverlight is supported by Windows mobile device as part of a new service that the NBL have built. Silverlight applications and media streaming can be run on a mobile phone so Silverlight even at this stage is about more than just the desktop browser and desktop market. Silverlight may be seen soon on the Symbian OS too. Silverlight does not require video codec to run industry standard videos like .WMV Silverlight supports scalable video formats from HD to mobile. Silverlight supports Hardwareassisted editing and encoding solutions. Silverlight has XAML based presentation layer for SEO.

ActionScript is an imperative language, which brings itself the pitfalls of imperative languages when compared with declarative languages.

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There is not any such service provided by Flash Flash is not spread as across the vast majority of both desktops and mobiles platforms, as compared to Silverlight. Flash requires Flash Lite preinstalled on mobile devices.

Flash requires video codec to run .WMV videos. Flash does not support scalable video formats from HD to mobile Flash does not support Hardware-assisted editing and encoding solutions. Flash does not have XAML based presentation layer for SEO.

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Flash does not provide End-toend server and application platform. Media server licensing is costlier than Silverlight. Flash does not support Scalable full screen video. This limitation doesnt exist with Flash.

Silverlight provides End-to-end server and application platform. Media server licensing is cheaper than flash. Silverlight supports Scalable full screen video. Silverlight is missing Linux support, so people using Linux machine cannot run it on their machines and will have to stick to Windows and MAC OS Silverlight will add to the use of the WMV file format.Using the WMV video format essentially makes Silverlight useless for the vast majority of video websites such as YouTube. It cannot play .avi and .mov file.

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Flash Video turned Flash into a mechanism for delivering media with far more potential than any other solution that is .flv, no doubt Flash has also limitation to play other video file. For that Flash required codex for that player installed on Client machine. Even flash is also lacking this area. Flash can read data source in terms of XML or text from some URL and can use it. Same thing silverlight also can read. Flash has rich set of control library.

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Silverlight has no support for binding to models,binding to data, or even connecting to network resources to obtain data.

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Silverlight doesn't even have support for things that should be considered a stock part of any library such as buttons, checkboxes, list boxes, list views, grids,etc. Probably in future release may Microsoft support it. Once the accessibility features are provided with Silverlight versions, any existing test tools that support driving UI through Accessibility will be fully enabled to automate Silverlight applications Cannot do sound processing.

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Flash test tools are already in place.

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With some media file sound processing can possible.

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Flash allows creating XML Socket object. Can do that.

Socket programming is not possible. Per pixel bitmap editing, bitmap filters (convolution, color matrix, etc),bitmap effects (drop shadow, blur,glow) cannot be done. Webcam and Microphone support are not provided by Silverlight Built in file upload/download support is not available. Silverlight is new in market and required time to get acceptance in market.

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Flash supports it. Inbuilt Upload/download support is there. Flash has a long history that spans more than ten years, and already got acceptance in market and being the most successful browser plug- in ,it is installed on over 90 percent of the worlds web browsers Size of flash component is smaller. Flash ships in single component that is .swf.Images/video/sounds also incorporated in single .swf package.

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Size of Silverlight component is larger. It has found in practical implementation of image animation, at some extent flickering occurs on image.

Reference: http://onlydifferencefaqs.blogspot.in/2012/07/silverlight-difference-faqs-1.html Silverlight Difference FAQs-2 1.Difference between Custom Control and User Control in Silverlight S.No 1 2 3 4 5 6 Custom Control User Control

A loosely coupled control w.r.t A tightly coupled control w.r.t code code and UI and UI Derives from Control Defines UI in ResourceDictionary UI can be skinable Has Dynamic layout Derives from UserControl the Defines UI as a normal XAML Child controls can skinable only Has static layout

UI can be changed in different UI is fixed and can't have different

project 7 8 9 10 Has full toolbox support Defines a single control More flexible

look in every project Can't be added to the toolbox Defines a set of controls Not much flexible like Custom Control

Requires in depth knowledge Does not require depth knowledge of Silverlight UI Model of UI Model

2.Difference between DataContext and ItemsSource property in Silverlight S.No 1 2 DataContext property ItemSource property

DataContext expects an object ItemsSource expects IEnumerable type type objects DataContext is a dependency ItemsSource is defined by the property is exposed by ItemsControl class. All the FrameworkElement base class descendants of FrameworkElement can utilize the DataContext property and set an object to its value. Note: But we can only set a type of IEnumerable(or instance of class that derives from).

DataContext does not generate template, it only used to hold common data for other controls to bind. DataContext is mainly used to hold common data that other child want to share. Thus it can be inherited by other child elements without problem.

In terms of ItemsSource property, it is mainly used to generate template regardless of you set it in XAML or in the code behind. But for ItemsSource, it is not used to share data in the visual tree. It is only valid for the element that defined. There is still one thing to be noted is that the child element can override the DataContext of the perent DataContext no mater directly or indirectly.

Example(s): Suppose we have a Person Class which has a property Name. Now in Xaml we can say like:

If you run this code in the ListBox you will get to see values depending on List object. But if we change the ItemsSource to DataContext then you will be not able to see anything because DataContext doesn't generate templates in any cases. If you set datacontext still you have to set the ItemsSource property like this: Summary: In a word, if we have several child elements that will share a common data source, we can set DataContext property for the parent elements. And we use ItemsSource for ItemsSource in most cased to generate template. Like: 3.Difference between Silverlight and Flex S.No 1 Silverlight Execution Mechanism: Flex Execution Mechanism: for iterative

Power of Native execution of Slow execution CLR instead of Flash's Action executions Script Interpretator 2 Editing facility: Editing facility:

Expression Blend is really cool Flex Builder is not that much good and more advanced editor then editor when compare with Flex Builder Expression Blend 3 Multilanguages Support: Multilanguages Support:

Power of other languages, No generics, No other languages, provides Generics and Linq etc No linq. 4 Threading Asynchronous Tasks: Available 5 Form layouting and binding: Binding in Silverlight is way more cumbersome.Binding requires component naming and does not support instance expressions like flex does, though two way binding is good in silverlight but you have to write long codes for multiple bindings for one math expression. 6 Where primarily used: and Threading Tasks: Unavailable Form layouting and binding: Better in Adobe Flex.The most easy way to create new components, you can have mxml derive from any control and extend them with extensive binding. and Asynchronous

Where primarily used:

Silverlight is used for extremely We use flex for data applications, rich graphics and animation those are simple form processing applications 7 Search Engine Friendly: XAML is Friendly 8 Search Search Engine Friendly:

Engine MXML markup language is not Search Engine Friendly Client / Server Technology:

Client / Server Technology:

Silverlight can be developed Flex is a client based application for a server or client tool environment. 9 Release Date: Before it was called Silverlight, it was known as Windows Presentation Foundation/Everywhere (WPF/E) and was first released in 2007. Silverlight 2 became available in October 2008. Silverlight 3 was released in July 2009. 10 Language Differences: Alternatively, Microsoft Silverlight uses the XAML language as a placeholder for media files, shapes and images. It works with all .NET languages and JavaScript for interactive and component features. Completed code is compiled with the .NET assemblies and compressed into a ZIP file. 11 Data Transfer: No such format for data transfer. Will have to stick to SOAP and REST web services(for now). 12 Debugging: Debugging using Visual Studio is very easy. Release Date: Adobe Flex was originally released in 2004 by Macromedia. The third version (Flex Builder 3) became available in 2008.

Language Differences: Adobe Flex uses MXML markup language and actionscript to build layout/graphic user interfaces. To create components, it works with ActionScript (the object oriented Flash language). After the code is completed, it needs to be compiled by the Flex Application Server.

Data Transfer: Data transfer via the proprietary AMF using WebORB, Fluorine, etc is faster than traditional web services. Debugging: Debugging is a bit of a hassle.

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Webservice Access: Accessing web services is very easy. Just add a reference to the WebService in Visual Studio and lookup reference.cs for the good stuff

Webservice Access: Accessing web services requires manual creation of ActionScript proxy classes. We can automate this by using FlexTense though. Component Size: Size of the compiled SWF file is smaller than that of the uncompressed Silverlight component.

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Componenet Size: Size of the Silverlight component is larger.

Reference: http://onlydifferencefaqs.blogspot.in/2012/08/silverlight-difference-faqs-2.html AJAX vs Silverlight Difference between AJAX and Silverlight S.No 1 AJAX Meaning: Ajax (also AJAX, an acronym for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a group of interrelated web development techniques used on the clientside to create asynchronous web applications. With Ajax, web applications can send data to, and retrieve data from, a server asynchronously (in the background) without interfering with the display and behavior of the existing page. Data can be retrieved using the XMLHttpRequest object. Silverlight Meaning: Microsoft Silverlight is an application framework for writing and running rich Internet applications, with features and purposes similar to those of Adobe Flash. The run-time environment for Silverlight is available as a plugin for web browsers running under Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. While early versions of Silverlight focused on streaming media, current versions support multimedia, graphics and animation, and give developers support for CLI languages and development tools. Silverlight is also one of the two application development platforms for Windows Phone, but Silverlight enabled web pages cannot run on Internet Explorer for Windows Phone as there is no plugin. Technologied Involved: Silverlight 1 is purely AJAX and JavaScript based. All the code has to be written in JavaScript and

Technologied Involved: In the article that coined the term Ajax,Jesse James Garrett explained that the following

technologies are incorporated: HTML (or XHTML) and CSS for presentation The Document Object Model (DOM) for dynamic display of and interaction with data XML for the interchange of data, and XSLT for its manipulation The XMLHttpRequest object for asynchronous communication JavaScript to bring these technologies together 3 When was AJAX coined / developed ? Nobody invented AJAX. But,the computer scientist Jess James Garret first coined the term "Ajax" in 2005. Note: The key technology: XMLHttpRequest used in AJAX was developed by Microsoft for its Internet Explorer 5.0 for Windows as an ActiveX object in 1999. AJAX mainly relies on what technology / framework? Ajax relies on the XMLHttpRequest object.Using it, Ajax typically retrieves data from servers and can do so asynchronously. This means Ajax can retrieve data without disrupting the behaviors and displays of existing WebPages.

XAML. With version 2, the programming logic can be written in any .NET language, including some derivatives of common dynamic programming languages like IronRuby and IronPython .

When was Silverlight coined / developed ? Microsoft released its first version of Silverlight in 2007.

Silverlight mainly relies on what technology / framework ? Unlike Ajax, which relies on the XMLHttpRequest object, Silverlight relies on the .NET framework. This framework provides the common language runtime (CLR) run-time environment, enabling Silverlight for running code and providing services that simplify the developmental process. Specifically, Silverlight's .NET framework and CLR environment allow developers to execute the same compiled code on servers as well as clients. What is the main purpose of Silverlight?

What is the main purpose of AJAX ?

Developers typically use Ajax for creating interactive website features that end-users can access through Web browsers.

In comparison, developers typically use Silverlight for creating imageand video-based social media content that end-users can stream -- or download in real-time. Developers can also extend the functionality or richness of their Ajax features by using Silverlight, but not vice-versa. Whether Silverlight needs to be installed in the system? Silverlight plugin needs to be installed in our system for better browsing experience.

Whether AJAX needs to be installed in .NET ? From ASP.Net 3.5 onwards, AJAX has been integrated into the .NET Framework. Hence, there is no need to install in .NET. When to use AJAX ? Ajax can be used to make web applications perform better (if used in right manner) and to provide better user experience than conventional websites by avoiding full page refreshes. Development Benefits: Ajax provides developers with access to JavaScript libraries, such as MootTools and jQuery. These libraries help developers create sleek and highly interactive website applications without having to pay for integrated development environments (IDEs). However, despite being lower in cost, Ajax is not easier to use than Silverlight. Whether AJAX provides Cross-platform support ? Ajax is a cross-platform technique that can be used on wide range of different operating systems, computer architectures.

When to use Silverlight ? Silverlight can be used when we need rich UI (like adobe flex) and do not have heavy server dependency.

Development Benefits: Silverlight improves work-flow by separating the visual, userinterface aspects of website development from the back-end, business-logic aspects of development.

Whether Silverlight provides Cross-platform support ? Silverlight is not fully platform independent tool. It only supports Windows OS, Linux OS using Moonlight and Mac OS.

Reference: http://onlydifferencefaqs.blogspot.in/2012/09/ajax-vs-silverlight.html