Mike Hanley's Blog

Silverlight Release History

Microsoft has maintained an excellent release history for Silverlight. I have reformatted the data into a table for easier viewing and searching.

 

Silverlight 4

Version	Release Date	Notes
4.0.51204.0	12/15/2010	KB2477244 (open in new window) Foreign diacritical marks do not display in a TextBox control or a RichTextBox control in an Out-of-Browser (OOB) application on a Macintosh computer. Note: A diacritic is a special mark added to a letter to indicate a different pronunciation, stress, tone, or meaning. Acute and grave accents, tildes, and cedillas are examples of diacritics. Before you apply this update, a Silverlight 4 OOB application can enable an update only when the application is signed with matching certificates that have not expired. This update relaxes this restriction. After you apply the update, an OOB application can enable an update if the following conditions are true: Both the new application and the old application have valid signatures. The new application is signed with a trusted certificate. The Subject and the Issuer of the certificate that is used to sign the new application match those of the certificate that is used to sign the old application
4.0.50917.0	9/28/2010	KB2416427 (open in new window) This update fixes an incompatibility issue between Microsoft Silverlight 4 GDR 1 (4.0.50826.0) and earlier versions of the Bing Toolbar. The current release of Bing Toolbar (version 6) is not affected.
4.0.50826.0	9/1/2010	GDR1 This update improves the native extensibility of media stream source that uses the Silverlight technology and the Expression Encoder. This update enables new Add Row functionality in the Silverlight DataGrid control. This update enables you to increase the isolated storage size through registry keys or Group Policy settings. This update improves the startup performance of applications on a computer that enables the Silverlight technology. This update adds the mouse wheel support for out of browser applications on a computer that is running a Mac operating system. This update resolves a security issue. Playback of PlayReady-protected content through a remote desktop connection or a terminal session is now disabled. Memory leaks that occur when mouse capture is used. For example, memory leaks that occur when you use CaptureMouse() in drag-and-drop scenarios. Memory leaks that occur when UserControl cannot be garbage-collected because it contains inline data template.
4.0.50524.0	6/3/2010	Fix to RTW Fixes issues when using PlayReady on certain Mac and Windows configurations. Fixes an issue where an AmbiguousMatchException exception occurs running on certain Silverlight 3.0 applications. Fixes memory leak issues on Mac which occur playing streaming media for long periods of time. Fixes an issue on Mac where the TAB key does not start the Control.KeyDown event as expected. Fixes an issue on Mac when you set the full-screen mode for a Silverlight application that is running on a secondary monitor, the screen is positioned incorrectly
4.0.50401.0	4/15/2010	RTW WCF RIA Services introduces enterprise class networking and data access for building n-tier applications including transactions, paging of data, WCF and HTTP enhancements. Comprehensive printing support enabling hardcopy reports and documents as well as a virtual print view, independent of screen content. Localization enhancements with Bi-Directional text, Right-to-Left support and complex scripts such as Arabic, Hebrew and 31 new languages including Vietnamese and Indic support. Read and write files to the user’s MyDocuments, MyMusic, MyPictures and MyVideos folder (or equivalent for non-windows platforms) for example storage of media files and taking local copies of reports. COM automation enables access to devices and other system capabilities by calling into application components; for instance to access a USB security card reader. Offline DRM, extending the existing Silverlight DRM powered by PlayReady technology to work offline. Protected content can be delivered with a persistent license so that users can go offline immediately and start enjoying their content. Enhanced databinding support increases flexibility and productivity through data grouping/editing and string formatting within bindings. Exclusive tooling support for Silverlight, new in Visual Studio 2010. Including a full editable design surface, drag & drop data-binding, automatically bound controls, datasource selection, integration with Expression Blend styling resources, Silverlight project support and full IntelliSense.

 

Silverlight 3

Version	Release Date	Notes
3.0.50611.0	8/10/2010	GDR 4 The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by modifying the way that Microsoft Silverlight handles pointers and Microsoft .NET CLR handles interfaces. For more information about the vulnerabilities, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection of Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-060 for the specific vulnerability entry.
3.0.50106.0	1/19/2010	GDR 3 Silverlight now properly handles graphics driver error conditions which prevent proper rendering Fixes Performance and CPU utilization improvements in specific DeepZoom scenarios Fixes crashing issue related to download errors
3.0.40818.0	9/1/2009	GDR 2 Broadens support for Unicode characters, particularly towards the GB18030 character set for China. Networking performance improvements Video seeking improvements
3.0.40723.0	2/18/2009	GDR 1 Fixes a problem with too much buffering during media playback
3.0.40624.0	10/14/2008	RTW Smooth Streaming dynamically detects and seamlessly switches, in real time, the video quality of a media file delivered to Silverlight based on the consumer’s local bandwidth and CPU conditions. This provides support for live and on-demand true HD (720p+) HTTP-based adaptive streaming. Perspective 3D graphics allows any content to be placed a 3D plane, and still be live: video play and controls are still functional. You can rotate or scale live content in space without writing any additional code. Other effects include creating a queue in 3D and transitions. Pixel Shader effects such as blur and drop shadow make content stand out in the page. They can be applied to any graphical content and also animated, for instance to make a button appear depressed on rollover you could use a drop shadow effect on the pressed visual state. New Controls - Silverlight 3 is packed with over 60 high-quality, fully Skinable and customizable out-of-the-box controls such as charting and media, new layout containers such as dock and ViewBox, and controls such as AutoComplete, TreeView and DataGrid. The controls come with nine professional designed themes and full source code. The new Out-of-Browser experience built into Silverlight 3 lets users place their favorite Silverlight applications directly onto any PC or Mac desktop. This is a radical improvement over traditional RIA offerings that have separate technologies for browser and desktop. Furthermore, the new experience enables Silverlight applications to work whether the computer is connected to the Internet or not. Extensible media format support with RAW AV - The new Raw AV pipeline provides support for a wide variety of third-party codecs. Audio and video can be decoded outside the runtime and rendered in Silverlight, extending format support beyond the native codecs, adding support for features such as alpha video.  Deep Zoom technology in Silverlight allows users to see images on the Web as never before. The smooth, in-place zooming and panning that Deep Zoom allows is a true advancement and raises the bar on what image viewing should be. It is also now possible through this feature to make super-high-resolution images easily consumable on the Web. Skinning & Styling in Silverlight makes it easy to create graphics and then use them to customize controls, such as the look of a scrollbar or chart. Silverlight provides XAML based templates for each control that allow designers to reach inside the control and change the layout or look of each part of the control without rewriting any code. For example, a scrollbar is made up of a layout container and a set of parts such as the up and down button and draggable thumb. Parts can be rearranged and their appearance changed to fully customize the control. In addition, controls can be themed by applying a style to offer a range of different colors or font sizes. SketchFlow, part of Expression Studio 3, revolutionizes the speed and efficiency you can demonstrate a vision for an application. SketchFlow provides an informal and quick way to explore, iterate and prototype user interface scenarios allowing you to evolve your concepts from a series of rough ideas into a living breathing prototype that can be made as real as a particular client or project demands. This rapid, iterative and cost effective approach to prototyping allows you to concentrate on what matters most, being creative and building the best solution for your client, on time and within budget.

 

Silverlight 2

Version	Release Date	Notes
2.0.40115.0	2/18/2009	GDR 1 Fixes problems that were caused by Silverlight and McAfee scanning tools interactions UI automation stability fixes, including: Graceful failures when attempting to use features that require .NET Framework 3.0 or 3.5 on machines that do not have either framework installed Improved Tablet support Fixes an issue that arises when Mac users customize their environment by removing Arial and Verdana fonts Fixes a known issue with Isolated Storage IncreaseQuotaTo method
2.0.31005.0	10/14/2008	RTW .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. 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. Cross-platform and cross-browser support. This includes support for Mac, Windows and Linux in Firefox, Safari and Windows Internet Explorer.

 

Silverlight 1

Version	Release Date	Notes
1.0.30715.0	7/23/2008	GDR 4 Startup performance of the Silverlight application Network bandwidth usage during auto-update events
1.0.30401.0	4/4/2008	GDR 3 Improved media performance, including support for custom attributes in ASX files Enhanced Font Support for Mac Leopard Improved media shutdown experience Improved multiple language support during installation and update
1.0.30109.0	1/15/2008	GDR 2 New installer to enable offline installation and upgrade support via Microsoft Update  Integration with Windows Media Servers: Improved Audio only stream log information to WMS. The supported logging fields by Silverlight are documented in the Silverlight 1 SDK.
1.0.21115.0	11/20/2007	GDR 1 Improved media performance, A/V synchronization, and  VideoBrush redraw Enhanced Font Support Improved compatibility with Safari 3.0 and Mac Firefox including reliability and support for inline XAML Additional proxy support for streaming media sent on port number other than port 80  Support for http redirect within Image and Media element Improved installation experience, particularly in the quiet mode and auto update scenarios Integration with Windows Media Servers: Silverlight plug-in will now log accurate information to WMS in streaming scenarios. The supported logging fields by Silverlight are documented in the Silverlight SDK.
1.0.20816.0	9/4/2007	RTW Microsoft Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering richer user experiences on the Web.  Silverlight significantly reduces development and deployment costs and provides enhanced Web audio and video streaming and playback using industry-leading Windows Media Technologies.

Source

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b7a3205-b5f8-4e20-bf42-792de5923454

2009 Presidential Inauguration

Watch the 2009 Presidential Inauguration live in HD with a player we at Vertigo built for CBS local.

The application is written in Silverlight 2 and is hosted on Limelight's CDN.

Here is a list of the CBS Local stations that are running the player:

KPIX
http://cbs5.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

KTVT
http://cbs11tv.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

KYW
http://cbs3.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

KCBS
http://cbs2.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

KCNC
http://cbs4denver.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

KDKA
http://kdka.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

KOVR
http://cbs13.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WFOR
http://cbs4.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WJZ
http://wjz.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WWJTV
http://wwjtv.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WBBM
http://cbs2chicago.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WBZ
http://wbztv.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WCBS
http://wcbstv.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

WCCO
http://wcco.com/InaugurationPlayer/Default.htm

Hard Rock Memorabilia Widget

We over at Vertigo and Hard Rock have released a cool new feature to the Hard Rock Memorabilia application: the Widget. We now have the ability to share any piece of memorabilia using a standard HTML <object> tag. Here is a sample: 

Google Chrome and Hard Rock Memorabilia

Google's new web browser Chrome kind of works with Silverlight 2 Beta 2 applications. During my testing, the Hard Rock Memorabilia application came up, but the loading of the Deep Zoom tiles took a long time.

DNCC Silverlight 2 Video Applicaton

Over the last 2 months, I have been working with a great team of Software Engineers and Designers at Vertigo to build a Video player for the Democractic National Committee Convention (DNCC) in Denver.

You can check it out here: http://gallery.demconvention.com

TechEd 2008 and Hard Rock Memorabilia

I just finished attending Microsoft's TechEd 2008 conference in Orlando, FL. It was a great conference and I had a lot of fun attending. I helped Scott Stanfield, the CEO of Vertigo, with 2 presentations: "Silverlight 2 Deep Zoom Deep Dive" and "Video.Show and Slide.Show".

There were several great announcements as well:

• Silverlight 2 Beta 2
• Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2
• Velocity CTP1

To top off the event, the Vertigo team also ported the Hard Rock Memorabilia 2.0 application to Silverlight 2 Beta 2 (there is a case study too):