From the asp.net blog.
"Today we shipped the final release of
Silverlight 2. You can download Silverlight 2, as well the Visual
Studio 2008 and Expression Blend 2 tool support to target it, here.
Cross Platform / Cross Browser .NET Development
Silverlight
2 is a cross-platform browser plugin that enables rich media
experiences and .NET RIAs (Rich Internet Applications) within the
browser.
Silverlight 2 is small in size (4.6MB) and takes only 4-10 seconds to install on a machine that doesn’t already have it. It does not
require the .NET Framework to be installed on a computer to run – the
Silverlight setup download includes everything necessary to play video
or run applications.
Developers can write Silverlight
applications using any .NET language (including VB, C#, JavaScript,
IronPython and IronRuby). Silverlight provides a rich set of features
for development including:
- WPF UI Framework:
Silverlight 2 includes a rich UI framework that makes building rich Web
applications much easier. In includes a powerful graphics and
animation engine, as well as rich support for higher-level UI
capabilities like controls, layout management, data-binding, styles,
and template skinning. The WPF UI Framework in Silverlight is a
compatible subset of the WPF UI Framework features in the full .NET
Framework, and enables developers to re-use skills, controls, code and
content to build both rich cross browser web applications, as well as
rich desktop Windows applications.
- Rich Controls:
Silverlight 2 includes a rich set of built-in controls that developers
and designers can use to quickly build applications. The Silverlight 2
release includes core form controls (TextBox, CheckBox, RadioButton,
ComboBox, etc), built-in layout management panels (StackPanel, Grid,
Panel, etc), common functionality controls (Slider, ScrollViewer,
Calendar, DatePicker, etc), and data manipulation controls (DataGrid,
ListBox, etc). All Silverlight controls support a rich control
templating model, which enables developers and designers to collaborate
together to build highly polished solutions.
- Rich Networking Support:
Silverlight 2 includes rich networking support. It includes out of the
box support for calling REST, WS*/SOAP, POX, RSS, and standard HTTP
services. It supports cross domain network access (enabling
Silverlight clients to directly access resources and data from
resources on the web). It also includes built-in sockets networking
support.
- Rich Base Class Library:
Silverlight 2 includes a rich .NET base class library of functionality
(collections, IO, generics, threading, globalization, XML, local
storage, etc). It includes rich APIs that enable HTML DOM/JavaScript
integration with .NET code. It includes LINQ and LINQ to XML library
support (enabling easy transformation and querying of data), as well as
local data caching and storage support. The .NET APIs in Silverlight
are a compatible subset of the full .NET Framework.
- Rich Media Support:
Silverlight 2 includes built-in video codecs for playing high
definition video, as well as for streaming it over the web (including
both live and on-demand support). Silverlight includes support for
adaptively switching video bitrates on the fly based on network
conditions (enabling users to avoid seeing the dreaded "buffering…"
message), placing and metering ads within video streams, as well as
enabling content protection.
The final
Silverlight 2 release delivers a tremendous amount of power and
flexibility that enables you to really push the boundaries of what can
be done in a browser, and enable great end user experiences."
Read more: http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2008/10/14/silverlight-2-released.aspx
