Microsoft picks HTML5 over Silverlight for Internet apps

Lets keep in mind exactly what Microsoft does. They throw a ton of money and developers at some product and make a lot of noise about how this is their next big thing. Then they seem to completely or mostly drop it and they're off to the next thing.<p>My fear and source of consternation is their sudden "love of html5". Yeah, they're currently doing good on getting IE up to spec. Even though its still not 100% there, but that's ok since its in beta. When its officially released, it will matter then. What I firmly believe is going to happen is that IE9 is going to get released and will get the occasional security patch, but they're going to stop doing major development on it and again the MS browser will stagnate for years again.<p>So everyone should stop getting excited when Microsoft says they're doing this one thing or another. Apple keeps its cards close to the chest and stays focused on what they're building. Microsoft is the guy at the table that always goes 'Hey guys, wow look at this King/Ace I have! Now look at my pocket Queens!'

this has been clear for a while. Ballmer said as much at a recent financial analysts' meeting: <a href="http://decav.com/blogs/andre/archive/2010/10/27/ballmer-microsoft-s-strategic-ria-platform-is-html5.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://decav.com/blogs/andre/archive/2010/10/27/ballmer-micr...</a><p>"Interviewer: "HTML or Silverlight, what is Microsoft's lead strategy for developing rich internet applications? Silverlight, HTML5, or acquiring Adobe?"<p>Ballmer: "If you want to do something that is universal, there is no question, the world is going HTML5... The world is just pushing down that HTML5 path, and so are we... What we've really done [with Silverlight] in very good ways is to repurpose it as an important part of the client platform, so yes, you will embrace HTML5, but it's also clear people want client apps... So we're dedicated to Silverlight, but with a little different concept, and we're embracing HTML5."

I don't get it. Their brand new phone doesn't support HTML5.

The company who should fear this turn is Adobe. This is the exact opposite of "market validation" for Flash.<p>This is a competitor signalling that they are no longer betting on a Rich (binary) environment in a browser. They see that as a dead-end, and have undoubtedly spent considerable time, money, and effort coming to that conclusion.

So Microsoft is still a gargantuan hydra with different heads fighting each other?<p>It's fairly fascinating. On the one hand, you get this sensible, open Microsoft - the company that still delivers reasonably good Desktop products, has a great development platform, wonderful developer resources/support, now supports HTML5. On the other hand, you keep encountering its evil twin: the institution that made the Kin, that scrapped Courier, that can't decide which horse to back in the internet race, that made IE7, and so on and so forth; the company that will end up losing most of its mind and market share to the new (and old, actually) kids on the block.<p>Wish there was only the former.

This is why I don't bother with Microsoft's development platforms. They are always moving the goalposts.

HTML 5 is still in a draft state. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5</a> Looks like it will be in IE9. So whats all this about Microsoft not adopting open standards? Their kind of a big company isn't it okay for them to support both?

Is it possible for developers to see this merely as microsoft positioning everything to be more like apple?<p>I'm seeking some validation if the following is now true:<p>wpf ~~ cocoa (for mac)<p>silverlight ~~ cocoa touch<p>html5 (formerly SL when used as webapps) ~~ html5.<p>I hope microsoft pitches the above this way, so developers like me that need to use their tech stack can sleep easy at night. It's a simpler way to think about everything. And Flash can still have it's place for RIA and grow to be a premier tools developer for html5 apps.<p>Remember, apple originally took an opposite direction when the iphone first came out, originally expecting developers to develop mobile html applications for the phone. That idea died quickly, and a year later Cocoa Touch and the App Store came out.

This is smart competitive positioning by Microsoft. Microsoft has been burned in the past for not embracing standards early and clearly wants to be on the right path from the outset. The difference this time around is that HTML5 also presents itself as a competitive option to the proprietary iOS and Flash platforms, to which Microsoft offers no significant or competitive alternative.

This looks like a classic case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.<p>Despite how much Apple raves about HTML5, the fact remains that the bane for the App store are HTML5 apps.<p>Microsoft has just raised the stakes a bit...but as many commenters have pointed out, time will tell whether or not they have staying power. They have a tendency to wax and wane on their support for products.

Microsoft is really the last company anybody should be looking for guidance on Internet technologies. Their strategy has historically been to make web development as difficult as possible, so as to delay the eventual replacement of the PC as a computing paradigm. Microsoft only stays in business if the PC paradigm lingers, and lingers...

I find it ironic that just two months ago the same pundits were talking about how WPF was dead and Silverlight is taking over. Now Silverlight is dead and HTML5 is taking over. Yet in MS most high profile product, WP7, it supports Silverlight, but not HTML5.<p>Why do I get the feeling that most people have no clue WTF they're talking about? :-)

Silverlight + "Intranet" is always a good combo. I'd say a better replacement for smart-client apps.

Writing cross-browser "desktop" html/javascript is very painful right now. The mobile world is a beautiful playground because IE isn't a serious player. Now if Microsoft would adopt WebKit for its mobile browsing, then I'd eat my hat.