Microsoft Strikes With Silverlight 2
The software giant hoped to outflank Google’s Chrome browser Monday by showing off Silverlight 2, a software tool for creating complex Web pages.
Microsoft also boasted that one in four consumers has access to a computer with Silverlight installed, though penetration and use far trails Adobe’s Flash technology and the reach of Google products, such as online search.
Last month, Google unveiled its Chrome browser with an emphasis on using JavaScript for the next generation of advanced Web pages with video and other complicated audio and animated features.
The move was an obvious bid to draw developer interested away from Flash – which is installed on about 98 percent of PCs connected to the Internet – and Silverlight.
On Monday, Microsoft said it has enhanced Silverlight with streaming video capabilities, an ability to customize applications and a feature to zoom in on high-resolution imagery. The technology has come a long way in a year, when it was introduced just for video playback, the company said.
It will be available for download on Tuesday.
Posted by Mark Boslet 
