Browsers with Silverlight

[xarzu]

Hey, I have got a question. What are the browser formats to be concerned with if you want your web site to be viewed universally?

I mean, if you can develop a cool silverlight app, I know that Silverlight does not run on Internet Explorer 64 bit. So I guess I would have to use HTML 5 for that.

What about the other browsers and platforms and what would be the replacement technologies?

[CoffeeFiend]

What are the browser formats to be concerned with if you want your web site to be viewed universally?

Then stick to HTML 4 and nothing more. (emphasis mine)

I know that Silverlight does not run on Internet Explorer 64 bit. So I guess I would have to use HTML 5 for that.

64-bit IE is hardly a common browser (probably well below 1%). Not that I would use silverlight in the first place as not enough people have it installed (nor is its future certain). And the percentage of browsers that properly supports a decent subset of the HTML 5 features is still WAY too low to be "viewable universally" like you want. Flash has a good install base but it's not supported by a some devices, like the iphone/ipod/ipad and a bunch of other mobile devices (including a lot of android devices). If you can live without those gadgets, then HTML 4 + Flash is still an option.

[Tripredacus]

I know that Silverlight does not run on Internet Explorer 64 bit. So I guess I would have to use HTML 5 for that.

64-bit IE is hardly a common browser (probably well below 1%). Not that I would use silverlight in the first place as not enough people have it installed (nor is its future certain). And the percentage of browsers that properly supports a decent subset of the HTML 5 features is still WAY too low to be "viewable universally" like you want. Flash has a good install base but it's not supported by a some devices, like the iphone/ipod/ipad and a bunch of other mobile devices (including a lot of android devices). If you can live without those gadgets, then HTML 4 + Flash is still an option.

Where does this tidbit come from? I just did a test, deployed Win7 Pro x64, and installed IE9 x64 with Silverlight. My test page was http://www.mahorney.net and that site works fine. I did have to install a newer version of Silverlight for it to work, however.

[cluberti]

Then you were still viewing it in a 32bit browser (which is expected, and as it should be right now anyway). There is no 64bit version of Silverlight available as of yet.

[jaclaz]

If the scope for the site is (as it should ALWAYS be) to be seen and appreciated by *all* users, you need to use "standard" formats and contents.

There is a commonly accepted set of standard which is given by W3C:

http://www.w3.org/

If your intention is to have the most happy people when visiting your site you should keep it as simple as possible, as adherent to such standards as you can and test it under several browsers.

I may be an "extremely grumpy user" (and I usually am one ), but whenever I find a site that for BASIC operations (I don't care much about the eyecandy) requires me to download a plugin or access it with a specific browser I use to write them, both to the technical service if available and to the commercial one, to tell them how I was p|§§€d off by their site and by their arrogance in attempting to impose me the use of one given browser over another one and notifying them how they had just lost a potential customer.

So, if your scope is having something that only fanboys of a given OS or browser will access or that however is aimed to a "niche" of internet users you are "free", other wise use the KISS principle as much as you can:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle

and make sure the site is accessible user by the most browsers.

And NO, silverlight is not exactly "popular" right now (and there are serious doubts that it will ever become poppular ).

JFYI:

http://trends.builtwith.com/framework/Silverlight

http://www.statowl.com/silverlight.php

and

http://www.riastats.com/

play a bit with the last one to get the idea

jaclaz

Edited September 12, 2011 by jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

Then you were still viewing it in a 32bit browser (which is expected, and as it should be right now anyway). There is no 64bit version of Silverlight available as of yet.

You are right. Even tho I install the IE9 x64 package, the default browser is still the 32bit client. I had to go out of my way to open the x64 version. I confirmed that Silverlight does not work with it.

[jaclaz]

I had to go out of my way to open the x64 version.

But the question is, it is in any way "better" or "faster" than the 32 bit one?

Or apart the (debatable) disadvantage of not having silverlight, which added features it has over the 32 bit version?

jaclaz

[cluberti]

It can be, although when it comes to Javascript (at least for IE) it won't be. The 32bit browser is still the "better" one, as add-ins and the like generally are 32bit as well, as are the (for IE9) javascript performance improvements.

[allen2]

But the question is, it is in any way "better" or "faster" than the 32 bit one?

Or apart the (debatable) disadvantage of not having silverlight, which added features it has over the 32 bit version?

jaclaz

The only "feature", i can imagine for the x64 IE, is that it can use more than 4GB of memory but is that a really a feature or the reverse?

[Tripredacus]

I'm always worried once any browser wants to use more than 250MB RAM, much less 4GB. What type of memory intensive thing would that extra RAM allow? I can see maybe certain Flash or other related animations being better... save Silverlight.

Else, maybe it means I could have hundreds of tabs open...

[MagicAndre1981]

try the Silverlight 5 RC and the Adobe Flash 11 RC, both provide 64Bit support so that you can use a 64Bit Browser.

[tain]

SL runs slow in FF for me but quite nicely in IE9 on the same machine.