Will Microsoft Kill the Video Star?
So. Microsoft has shown off its “Silverlight”-project, a Flash-competitor. First reaction? Laughing out loud for several minutes.
So, just to summarize what Microsoft Silverlight is: It’s Flash, only it can carry HD content, and seemingly higher quality video than what FLV-based videos can (i.e. YouTube). And according to Silverlight’s ‘Why Silverlight’-pages, it is also web standards compliant.
It is also Mac compatible (I’ve seen it work on both Firefox and Safari, at least). So far, it is all good. I am also happy to see Adobe being given some competition in the web authoring field.
The Big But
But here’s why I don’t think Silverlight is going to be a hit – and also why I don’t think it should be one:
It’s based on Microsofts own, proprietary standards. The way I see it, Microsoft keeps making up standards which arn’t really standards. They are often good ideas on paper, but they never catch on, and even Microsoft doesn’t often stick to them. I’d like to use ActiveX as a perfect example of this.
I’m afraid Silverlight will become the ActiveX of Web 2.0. The reasons for this are multiple. First there is the obvious: the .NET-framework. Microsoft has never been able to keep a real focus on neither the purpose or themaintenance of this framework, and should in my opinion have been killed off a long time ago.
Then there is the DRM-system: Microsoft PlayReady. This is a terrible idea! Again, this is something Microsoft and a couple of Fox CEOs have thought up in a dark boardroom, without even thinking about the UX-aspect of it!
Not trying to bash Microsoft here, I’m really not – but honestly, your DRM-solutions suck! And your proprietary file systems suck even more…
So when you say your best attempt on challenging Adobe Flash is based on a .NET-based system that will output a Microsoft-proprietary, WMV-based DRM-system… Well, ecstatic me for not being as enthusiastic as some…
I think Microsoft have phrased the whole ‘web standards’ angle very carefully. Considering what they say - "Enhance existing standards/AJAX-based applications with richer graphics and media […]" - I would guess thta Silverlight is no more ‘standards compliant’ than Flash; just that it can be <em>embedded</em> into standards-compliant XHTML pages. So, um, like Flash then?
So, as you say, what exactly is the point of Silverlight? Its basic product description sounds almost identical to Flash, and its supposed ‘benefits’ don’t really hold any weight, especially when you consider how fast the Flash Player is evolving.
I think that competition is a healthy thing - and Adobe are as guilty of monopoly as Microsoft - but the introduction of another ‘standard’ when we are finally achieving a more unified Web would appear to be a step backwards… and a very transparent attempt to further increase their hold on the ‘net.
Interestingly, I just installed Silverpoint and…
a) the app is nowhere to be found,
b) the DMG fails to re-mount, and
c) my Mac got the dreaded ‘you need to restart’ message for the first time in its life.
I guess actions speak louder than words.
Wise words, as always, Elliot. (And lots more of them on your redesigned website, I might add…)
Though, the fact that Microsoft tends to see "web standards" as something completely different from what the rest of us, is nothing new, either… =P
Who would have thought I would be the one to defend Microsoft but there is a silver lining to all this.
Even tho MSOFT may not embrace standards, they’re a big enough company with deep enough pockets to promote (or impose) the use of Silverlight. I design web sites for movie studios all day and I can say this, they are sick of flash. They want their trailers in in full HD (trailers cost a shitload of money to make) and flash can only cope by faking it. They’re tired of having to re-encode their movies into FLVS. They pay a lot of money converting it to WMVs and MOVs already. MSOFT presents a solution that allows them to save money and time. You better believe they’ll go for it.
I agree that Silverlight probably won’t overthrow flash’s monopoly but at the very least, it’ll light a fire underneath Adobe’s butt to come up with a real upgrade - support HD, get rid of FLVs, optimize the runtime engine to run equally well on Windows, Macs and Linux.
Yes, I think you’re right — This will more or less force Adobe to come up with a way to support real HD… And I believe Adobe is up to the task, as well…
Let’s not forget that, while the movie studios may be extatic about Microsoft — web developers & designers are not. So when Adobe upgrades Flash to support HD content, what format do you think the designers will tell the CEOs is the preferred one?