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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-05-20T22:42:40+00:00

I am thinking of building a web startup that targets elementary, middle school, high

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I am thinking of building a web startup that targets elementary, middle school, high school, and universities. This site will be much like a free version on Blackboard. I want to use Silverlight. Here are my arguements:

  • Silverlight is client side code, which contributes to scalability.
  • Dedicated apps will be created for each platform (iOS, Android, WinPhone7), so mobile is not based on HTMl.
  • PHP, Python, Ruby are all scripting languages on the server side designed to make HTML interactive, which require server resource. They absolutely can scale. But, not as effeciently as client-side apps.
  • Web success is about speed, UI, and features. Not technology.
  • Flash and .pdf have proven that people are willing to download applets, if it is trustworthy and reliable.

I know this prompts a flame-war, but much of it is becuase Microsoft is so hated.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    The biggest issues you are going to have are fragmentation of code and out-of-the-box compatibility.

    Your code is further fragmented by using Silverlight as another technology to maintain. Granted, this would be the same problem if you were using Flash, but neither seems to be headed towards a prosperous future on the web. HTML 5 is so promising, in this regard, that Adobe has even begun writing software that converts flash files to HTML5. If Adobe sees the writing on the wall, you can bet the fate is the same for Silverlight, which may very soon make your Silverlight code dated and requiring a port.

    This coincides with the second issue, which is out-of-the-box compatibility. You claim that Flash and PDF prove people are willing to download frameworks, but that still makes it a barrier of entry for customers, particularly those in your demographic who use dated, heavily-monitored computers in school systems that federate what can and cannot be downloaded. If you require a school to download Silverlight and they simply do not want to allow that, you’ve missed reaching out on an entire school. This is a much bigger barrier of entry than HTML 5, which is a lot easier for the end user in terms of an out-of-the-box browser.

    I would strongly advise you re-examine exactly what features from Silverlight are essential to your application development that cannot be replaced via Flash/HTML5.

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