Silverlight better than HTML5?

In a recent entry in the Silverlight blog entitled The Future of Silverlight Brad Becker, Director of Product Management, makes the case for Silverlight's superiority.
He points out that:
On the web, the purpose of Silverlight has never been to replace HTML; it's to do the things that HTML (and other technologies) couldn't in a way that was easy for developers to tap into.
There are many Microsoft developers who, once they have understood the Silverlight idea, think that for webapplication Silverlight is a complete solution and HTML is only needed to host the plug-in - and in many ways this is true. If you have taken to Silverlight then there is a very real question of why do you need HTML5?
After paying lip service to HTML5 the blog then goes on to list the features that Silverlight offers. All quite unnecessary in the sense that all you really have to know is that Silverlight delivers .NET into the browser - well perhaps not the full .NET framework but a good chunk of it. So for once a Microsoft advocate perhaps isn't really delivering the hardest possible sell. What hereally should be telling us is that Silverlight gives you desktop development facilities that run in the browser. While you could make the same claims for Flash its desktop credentials are something of an afterthought.
The blog then goes on to claim that Silverlight is fast and efficient and more consistent than HTML5 will be. The point being made is that while Microsoft is creating test suites to ensure that HTML5 and CSS3 works the same on all browsers Silverlight doesn't need such treatment because there is only one Silverlight. Well this is true but it's also because there is only one Silverlight implementation and it isn't open source.
Interestingly one of the more subtle implied criticisms of HTML5 and new standards is their glacial speed of production. The blog points out the Microsoft has delivered four major versions of Silverlight in in half thetime that HTML5 has been under development.
All true but this misses the point - Silverlight needed four revisions to reach the first acceptable version, i.e. Silverlight 4.0. Earlier version were arguably betas and work in progress released to get ahead and test the market.
The real edge that Silverlight has is that not only does itbring desktop development to the web it also provides a single environment that will run on the desktop and perhaps most importantly on Windows Phone 7. If Phone 7 is a success it will drag Silverlight along with it - making it the single most important Microsoft technology since the introduction of .NET.

Java once boasted that it was the language that you could "write once run many" but Silverlight seems to bemanaging to make this claim real without anyone really taking notice. Cross-browser compatibility is excellent and cross-platform support is good with Moonlight on Linux improving all the time.

When you read the blog you have to say that its advocacy of Silverlight is understated in a way that is deferential to HTML5 and industry standards. Microsoft seems to want to avoid upsetting the open source/openstandards community and as a result it can't really push Silverlight as hard as it might - it seems to lack the driveto "go for the jugular".
Yes HTML5 is nice, but it will take time before a significant number of users have browsers that support it. If you can swallow the bitter pill of using a proprietary add-in technology then Silverlight really does a lot more and it does it now.

Silverlight should be causing as much of a stir as HTML5.

Windows Phone In India

Windows Phone is designed to put people at the centre.Making it easier for them to connect and share with friends, family and colleagues, so they never miss a moment. And here is your chance to unlock your creativity. Build apps for the latest Windows Phone. See its amazing, unique & intuitive user interface design and be a part of it.
HOW?
1. Register for the i unlock joy campaign. Register before 18 th November 2011.
2. Download free developer tools The latest Windows Phone Developer Tools are available free for students.
3. Submit App Submit your app at the AppHub. After successful certification, your app will be listed on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
4. Claim Goodies Claim your goodies by providing details of your certified apps before
18 th December 2011.

For 1 Application:
Get a Merit Certificate, a Windows Phone T-Shirt and a 2GB USB Flash Drive for 1 app published on Marketplace.
For 4 Applications:
Get a cool new Windows Phone for 4 apps published on Marketplace.
RULES:
You are eligible to participate only if:
*You are 18 years of age or older; and
*You have been actively enrolled as a student at an accredited educational institution that grants high-school or college/university (or equivalent) degrees for at least 3 months between 1st January 2011 and 18th November 2011; and
*You are not an employee or intern of Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd. or Microsoft Corporation, or any of their affiliates; and
*You are not involved in any part of the execution or administration of this Program; and
*You are not an immediate family member of (parent, sibling, spouse, child) or household member of a Microsoft employee, an employee of a Microsoft affiliate, or a person involved in any part of the administration and execution of this Program.
*You are a registered member of Microsoft DreamSpark Program for students.
Your app submission is valid only if:
*Your app is submitted on AppHub Your app gets certified on AppHub and published on Windows Phone Marketplace before 18th December 2011.
*You can make your app using the following tools only:
1. Windows Phone Developer
2. Tools AppMakr Only 1 app developed using this tool will be accepted as a valid submission.

USERS:
The i unlock joy program is catching up amongst thousands of students in various colleges across the country. Join them in the revolution.
TOOLS:
Download free developer tools to build apps for Windows Phone
ABOUT Windows Phone:
Take a look at the latest Windows Phone and its revolutionary new user interface design.
Before you begin:
Get insights, experts views and inspiration you need toget started.
Forum:
Join the Windows Phone apps developers’ forum
Marketplace.
Visit Microsoft’s virtual store for apps, games, and other entertainment for the new Windows Phone.
FAQs
Answers to most of the questions that may arise as you begin your journey here.
Support: windowsphone@g5web.com
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