Announcing the New .NET Logo
Ahead of the PDC, "Microsoft .NET" has stepped out into the limelight sporting a new logo. The old one has been around for the last 8 years or so and with the the broad adoption of the Microsoft .NET technology on the PC, Web Server, Mobile, DB and Silverlight client, together with an industry direction towards cloud computing and on-line services, I guess it needed a new look.
For once I have to say I really like it.
Source- MSDN Blog
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Deep Zoom Composer Updated for Silverlight 2 (And More!)
Yesterday was a busy day, for we released an updated version of Deep Zoom Composer as well! You can download the updated version from the following link:
This version of Deep Zoom Composer presents several under-the-hood changes to improve reliability. We are getting close to wrapping up work on version 1 of this powertoy, so we are focusing on improving our existing features in lieu of adding anything new. Expect to see some details on some of those under the hood changes in the upcoming months.
With that said, that isn’t to say you won’t find anything new in this release. The biggest change is that our project templates now work with the released version of Silverlight 2. Previewing in the browser should just work, and our Deep Zoom upload/sharing service, PhotoZoom, has been updated as well.
Source- MSDN Blog
Microsoft Silverlight 2 available for download
Microsoft Silverlight 2.0 has just been released and is available for download
Take a look at www.microsoft.com/silverlight.
You can download the Silverlight 2 RTW SDK here .
Microsoft Silverlight 2 to be released on Oct 14,2008
Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of Silverlight 2, one of the industry’s most comprehensive and powerful solutions for the creation and delivery of applications and media experiences through a Web browser. Silverlight 2 delivers a wide range of new features and tools that enable designers and developers to better collaborate while creating more accessible, more discoverable and more secure user experiences.
Delivering Features for Next-Generation Web Experiences
Highlights of new Silverlight 2 features include the following:
•.NET Framework support with a rich base class library. This is a compatible subset of the full .NET Framework.
•Powerful built-in controls. These include DataGrid, ListBox, Slider, ScrollViewer, Calendar controls and more.
•Advanced skinning and templating support. This makes it easy to customize the look and feel of an application.
•Deep zoom. This enables unparalleled interactivity and navigation of ultrahigh resolution imagery.
•Comprehensive networking support. Out-of-the-box support allows calling REST, WS*/SOAP, POX, RSS and standard HTTP services, enabling users to create applications that easily integrate with existing back-end systems.
•Expanded .NET Framework language support. Unlike other runtimes, Silverlight 2 supports a variety of programming languages, including Visual Basic, C#, JavaScript, IronPython and IronRuby, making it easier for developers already familiar with one of these languages to repurpose their existing skill sets.
•Advanced content protection. This now includes Silverlight DRM, powered by PlayReady, offering robust content protection for connected Silverlight experiences.
•Improved server scalability and expanded advertiser support. This includes new streaming and progressive download capabilities, superior search engine optimization techniques, and next-generation in-stream advertising support.
•
Vibrant partner ecosystem. Visual Studio Industry Partners such as ComponentOne LLC, Infragistics Inc. and Telerik Inc. are providing products that further enhance developer capabilities when creating Silverlight applications using Visual Studio.
•Crossplatform and cross-browser support. This includes support for Mac, Windows and Linux in Firefox, Safari and Windows Internet Explorer.
More information and details about Silverlight 2 are available by reading the Silverlight 2 fact sheet at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/silverlight/default.mspx.
Get Silverlight 2: Silverlight 2 will be available for download on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight. Customers already using a previous version of Silverlight will be automatically upgraded to Silverlight 2.
Source- Microsoft Press Release
Microsoft® Silverlight™ Tools for Visual Studio 2008 SP1 (RC1)
This package is an add-on for Visual Studio 2008 SP1 to provide tooling for Microsoft Silverlight 2. It can be installed on top of either Visual Studio 2008 SP1 or Visual Web Developer 2008 Express with SP1, and it provides a Silverlight project system for developing Silverlight applications using C# or Visual Basic.
This download will install the following:
- Silverlight 2 developer runtime
- Silverlight 2 software development kit
- KB956453 for Visual Studio 2008 SP1
and/or
KB956485 for Visual Web Developer 2008 Express with SP1 - Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio 2008 SP1
and/or
Silverlight Tools for Visual Web Developer 2008 Express with SP1
Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio 2008 SP1 includes:
- Visual Basic and C# Project templates
- Intellisense and code generators for XAML
- XAML design preview
- Debugging of Silverlight applications
- Remote debugging of Silverlight applications for Mac
- Web reference support
- WCF Templates
- Team Build and command line build support
- Integration with Expression Blend
Microsoft looks ready to unleash Silverlight 2 next week
Silverlight 2 Beta 1 arrived in March, Beta 2 was then released in June, and while many expected the final version late this summer, Microsoft instead sent out a slightly newer build in July. The official response about the arrival of the final Silverlight 2 has been "when it’s ready," but late last month Silverlight 2 RC0 was released to help developers transition to the final Silverlight 2 code.
Microsoft still hasn’t given an official date for the final release, but according to a press release, Scott Guthrie, the corporate vice president of Microsoft’s .NET Developer Division, says that the company "will make a significant announcement about Microsoft Silverlight" on Monday, October 13 at 9AM PDT.
Source: One Microsoft Way
Announcing the release of Expression Media 2 SP1
After the release of Expression Blend SP1 RC Preview last week, the Expression team today has released Service Pack 1 for Expression Media 2. Currently the update to SP1 is only available to existing users of Expression Media 2 through Windows Update.
The update to SP1, which is only 2.9 MB in size seems to be nothing more than a performance and fixes update to improve the overall stability of the software.
There is nothing on the SP1 update on the official Expression Media site yet, even the KB article about the update is down. Currently the only way to to get this update is through Windows Update.
What is Expression Media?
Expression Media 2 is a professional digital asset management tool to visually catalog and organize all of the elements associated with your creative workflow. Expression Media 2 is based on the iView MediaPro product acquired by Microsoft in June of 2006.
Link: Official Expression Media 2 site
Source: Redmond Pie
Final Silverlight 2.0 for Windows and Mac now looking like October
Microsoft is nearing the finish line with the 2.0 releases of both the Windows and Mac OS X versions of its Silverlight competitor to Adobe Flash.
Late last week, Microsoft released the first public Release Candidate (RC) test builds of Silverlight 2.0 for Windows and Mac OS X. The new RC 0 build is not designed for end users; it is aimed specifically at developers. As explained on the official Silverlight site:
“Silverlight 2 Release Candidate 0 (Silverlight 2 RC0) is now available to developers for testing purposes and to help prepare your Silverlight 2 Beta 2 applications for the release of Silverlight 2.”
I’m hearing that Microsoft is shooting to release to the Web the final Windows and Mac versions of Silverlight 2.0 around the first week or so of October. Microsoft had been shooting to deliver the final Silverlight 2.0 release this past summer, according to a Microsoft blogger who published the internal Silverlight timetable to his blog.
Source- blogs.zdnet.com
