The Day the Web Changed: NET in the Browser!

MIX 07 opened yesterday and I believe we’ll look back on that day as the day that the Web changed. Microsoft made several announcements, not the least of which is that Silverlight, formerly known as “WPF/E,” will include a cross-platform version of the CLR that runs in the browser.

What does it mean? It means goodbye JavaScript, hello C#. It means managed code in the browser. It means an escape from HTML and browser DOMs and a better way to build browser-based UIs using XAML. It means incredibly rich browser experiences and a whole new generation of RIAs. In recent months, I’ve felt as if I’ve been shortchanging audiences when I talk about Silverlight because I couldn’t use the word CLR in the same sentence as Silverlight. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I can’t wait to get out and tell audiences what Silverlight is really all about.

For a summary of the cool stuff announced here at MIX yesterday, see Ryan Stewart’s blog. And make no mistake about it: the Web just changed, and it changed for the better. It’s an awesome time to be a Web developer!