Microsoft Silverlight Do I Need It



Silverlight from Microsoft is an example of an ambitious initiative to offer your fingertips rich web content. However, it’s also an admonition to what could go wrong.

What is Silverlight exactly? Do you need it even for a specific project? Given the current state of Silverlight, you or your web development needs probably are not a choice.

May 21, 2013 The version of Microsoft Silverlight you attempted to install is already Iinstalled. If you need to reinstall Silverlight, you should uninstall Silverlight before attempting to reinstall it. Close your browser. Uninstall Silverlight by following the Silverlight Uninstall Instructions. Download and install the latest version of Silverlight. Microsoft Silverlight (or simply Silverlight) is a deprecated application framework for writing and running rich Internet applications, similar to Adobe Flash. Microsoft has set the support end date for Silverlight 5 to be October 2021.

Drag Silverlight.plugin to the Trash. Click the Trash icon and select Empty. Once you have emptied your Trash, Microsoft Silverlight uninstallation is complete. To install the latest version of the Silverlight plug-in: Sign in to Netflix.com and press play on any title. Follow the prompts to download and install Silverlight on your Mac. What is Microsoft Silverlight? Is it something I need? I can't figure it out. I went to their forums and discussions and stuff but of course they are going to say that it is the greatest thing in the world. My questions are if it is the greatest thing then why do I have no idea what it is?

What is Silverlight, exactly?

Silverlight is depreciated technology. It’s a product of Microsoft’s ambitious push to create a unified media experience across PCs, tablets, and mobile devices.

Launched in 2007, Silverlight is an application framework designed to run “rich” internet applications. Think of it as an alternative to Adobe Flash, which crams static and interactive media into “containers” that requires a “player” (plugin) to run.

Download Microsoft Silverlight

Like Flash, Silverlight is an all-purpose plugin for streaming videos, livestreams, animations, and rich graphics to devices. However, it relies heavily on Microsoft’s XAML a text-based markup language for the user interface, animations, and vector graphics. It’s also based on Microsoft’s .NET Framework, allowing developers to use any tool that supports the .NET language.

It supports Windows Media Video (WMV), Windows Media Audio (WMA), H.264 video, Advanced Audio Coding, and MPG3. It doesn’t require the traditional Windows-based players.

When will Microsoft end Silverlight support?

Microsoft officially ends support for Silverlight 5, the final version, on October 12, 2021. That means it won’t receive official quality improvements and security updates. The installer won’t be available after that date either.

From January 31, 2020, after Internet Explorer 10 from Windows 8 loses Silverlight, Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 10 will be the last browser to support the Windows Platform. With version 45 (September 2015), Google stops supporting Chrome while Mozilla has waited until March 2017 to drop Firefox Silverlight 52. The software was never supported by both Opera and Microsoft Edge.

Silverlight disappeared on Android and iOS sometime around 2015. Of course, at this point, the 2021 death sentence is little more than a coup de grâce. Microsoft advised everyone to stop using Silverlight entirely in 2015, indicating that support for the software would eventually cease. By 2018, less than 0.1% of all websites used Silverlight.

Is Silverlight still available?

If you still want Silverlight maybe you’re writing a study on failed browser software. You can download Silverlight 5 until the October 2021 deadline. You won’t get much out of the experience, however, considering its current state. Silverlight hasn’t been worth using in years.

Should I Remove Silverlight

If you need an application framework for web development, use HTML5 instead. It offers a certain amount of future-proofing and handles modern internet content.

Still, if you insist on installing Silverlight, do so in a safe environment without sensitive data, like a virtual machine. Active support and updates for the software stopped back in 2012, though bug fixes continue periodically. Even more, OS support for Silverlight is currently a hit or miss.

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Microsoft Silverlight will reach the end of support on October 12, 2021. Silverlight development framework is currently only supported on Internet Explorer 10 and Internet Explorer 11, with support for Internet Explorer 10 ending on January 31, 2020. There is no longer support for Chrome, Firefox, or any browser using the Mac operating system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft Silverlight For Windows 10

What is the current level of support Microsoft will provide for Silverlight?

Microsoft will provide technical help for customers using versions of Silverlight 5 only. Paid technical help is available to customers requiring support with issues beyond install and upgrade. Microsoft will continue to ship updates to the Silverlight 5 Developer Runtime for supported browser versions given that their extensibility model supports plug-ins; this includes updates for security vulnerabilities as determined by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC).

Microsoft Silverlight Do I Need It

Microsoft Silverlight What Is It And Do I Need It

Silverlight 5 will support the browser versions listed on the system requirements page through October 12, 2021, or though the lifecycle of the underlying browsers, whichever is shorter. The support page will be updated to reflect compatibility with newer browsers and operating system versions.

Windows 7 will reach its end of support date on January 14, 2020. Will Silverlight be supported as part of the Extended Security Update (ESU) program available for Windows 7 customers?

Silverlight’s lifecycle policy is independent from the Windows 7 policy. After January 14, 2020, customers using Silverlight on Windows 7 will no longer be supported and will no longer receive automatic security updates.

What happens on October 12, 2021? Will existing applications stop working?

Microsoft is not planning to take any specific action to terminate Silverlight applications. After this date, however, Silverlight will be in an unsupported state and will not receive any future quality or security updates.

Microsoft Silverlight Do I Need It

Will companies be legally allowed to continue to run Silverlight assets after October 12, 2021? What happens to the license to use Silverlight after October 12, 2021?

Silverlight’s license is a perpetual license and is not tied to the continuation of support. While support will be ending in October 2021, this date does not affect the license, which continues in effect for as long as the customer is using the software and complies with the terms of the license.

Can companies obtain a custom agreement to extend Microsoft support past 2021?

There are no plans for extending Silverlight support beyond the existing support dates listed here.

What will happen to the microsoft.com/silverlight website after October 12, 2021?

Need

The microsoft.com/silverlight website will still be available. However, the Silverlight installer will no longer be available after the end of support date of October 12, 2021.

What is the recommended technology/development framework for customers who want to migrate applications from Silverlight?

There are various options for migrating applications from Silverlight. We recommend that you evaluate the requirements of the application that you are migrating and determine the technology that best suits the application in question:

  • If your application is non-browser dependent and you’d like to migrate to a Windows Desktop application, we recommend you migrate your application to UWP or WPF on .NET Core.

  • If your application is web-based, we recommend that you look into Blazor, which allows re-usability of .NET Silverlight code. Blazor lets you build interactive web UIs using C# instead of JavaScript. Blazor apps are composed of reusable web UI components implemented using C#, HTML, and CSS. Both client and server code are written in C#, allowing you to share code and libraries.