Chrome's JavaScript poses challenge to Silverlight

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Divide and Conquer

All of the WebKit RiA's share
the same layout engine, but differ
with the JavaScript vm. Adobe AiR
uses the Tamarin vm. Apple uses
the SproutCore-Cocoa vm. And
Google Chrome uses V8.

Since all WebKit RiA's use the
same layout engine, the
possibility of rendering across
many RiA's and browsers a very
advanced HTML-CSS-SVG document
model is conceivable. Since
WebKit supports advanced HTML5,
CSS3 and SVG 1.1, these RiA's
should be able to handle the kind
of complex-compound-process rich
documents found legace MSOffice
workflows.

Of course, it goes without
saying that XAML-Silverlight will
also fully support complex
documents that otherwise defied
the limits of legacy HTML.
Indeed, the MSOffice SDK provides
developers with an easy to
implement OOXML <> XAML
"fixed/flow" conversion component.
The bridge to legacy MSOffice
anchored client/server systems is
complete.

Adobe RiA differs from the other
WebKit RiA's in two important
aspects. One is that Adobe is not
about to let competitors sitting
on the EcmaScript workgroup stall
JavaScript innovation at the
standards layer. I'm not so sure
Google Chrome will similarly
charge ahead with their
implementation of JavaScript. I
do suspect Apple will respond like
Adobe; doing whatever they need to
do to keep their WebKit-SproutCore
implementation competitive with
XAML-Silverlight.

The second area where Adobe RiA
differs is that the vector
graphics model is SWF (ShockWave
Format) as opposed to the W3C SVG
(Scalable Vector Graphics format).
SWF has an incredibly large
developer and alternative IDE
community. SVG is very much
lacking in this area.

All in all, i think Microsoft
XAML-Silverlight clearly holds the
upper hand since they bring the
full force of converged platforms
to silverlight; with the legacy
desktop MSOffice platform being a
monopoly. When it comes to
business applications and systems,
Microsoft owns upwards of 95% of
the client side desktops.

It's one thing to write new Web
Applications that augment and
advantage WebStack and Web Cloud
systems. It's another to try to
crack into the MSOffice legacy of
"client/server" business systems.
The barriers are impossibly high.
and Microsoft has closed the loop
with this OOXML <> XAML-
Silverlight transtion
path.

Interestingly, having this
distinct advantage isn't about to
stop Microsoft stirring the RiA
pot with what i think is false
fret designed to misdirect. IMHO,
this slight of hand is meant to
shift our attention away from the
difficult challenge Microsoft has
of transitioning their monopoly
base from MSOffice desktops to a
Microsoft WebStack-Cloud-RiA
foundation.

Don't be fooled. These guys
are shills. Web designers and
developers are the mark. And the
pea is not on the table. It's in
Microsoft's back pocket.

~ge~

Posted by: gary_edwards   Posted on: 09/05/08 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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