Silverlight is storming across the net. According to Microsoft, Silverlight (formerly code-named “WPF/E”) is a free cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. Silverlight offers a flexible programming model that supports AJAX, Visual Basic .NET, C#, Python, and Ruby and integrates with existing Web applications. It’s intended to allow high quality streaming of audio and video to all major browsers (Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer running on Mac OS or Microsoft Windows… no word on Linux support).

Essentially Silverlight is a piece of the .NET runtime. The Silverlight runtime is not the full Framework. It extends .NET not only into the cross-browser, but the cross-platform realm as well, extending at least some Vista-generation Windows technology into Mac OS X and (most likely Linux eventually).

Betanews breakdown of Silverlight

Tim Sneath – Introducing Silverlight