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Comment by rbanffy | Hacker News Reader

Requires Silverlight...

Why would someone trying to promote something prevent access by demanding a plugin install?

If you don't have Silverlight installed or have no desire to install it, I hate to say it, but: this keynote probably isn't in your wheelhouse.

That not withstanding, the quality of Silverlight streaming video is actually quite good.

The problem is that non-Microsoft products can't watch this. So if Microsoft is interested in attracting Linux devs to see how cool their stuff is, they should show the video in a format that isn't restricted to their own platform.

I was under the impression that there was a Silverlight client for Linux.

There is, but requiring it to show a video stream is like requiring Java to show an animated GIF...

They probably realize that linux/osx devs will look at their stuff and laugh out loud at its lameness.

http://www.mono-project.com/Moonlight

The few important Silverlight videos on the web like Netflix and MS videos don't work on Moonlight.

It works in OSX fine, though I get your point. Honestly though, I don't think Microsoft is too interested in attracting Linux devs.

In their shoes I would be desperate to do so.

Why? Linux devs have already chosen, and when compared to the potential Windows developer pool they are fairly insignificant in number, so why devote resources to changing their minds when you could devote resources to convincing current Windows users to stay with Windows?

Honestly, PDC isn't a show to win over Linux devs. It's really geared to developers using MS tools today. For example, there's virtually no, ".NET from 0 to 60" or "An introduction to ASP.NET MVC".

I think you underestimate the sophistication of non-Windows developers. I am pretty sure I can understand a talk on some specific aspects of ASP.NET MVC or the Windows 8 new shining filesystem. And I am not the smartest guy on this block.

That said, being it mostly video (I assume), there is very little reason not to show it through a standard video tag. Heck... Even TVs can handle that nowadays.

You can fake up a Silverlight host and then decode the bits. Not rocket science to just get the video.

why does apple require quicktime to view their stream? why does adobe require flash to view the stream? because silverlight is a fast, simple install and it's made by microsoft.

I don't know. There is no Quicktime for Linux, but, still, Apple's sites open flawlessly most of the time.

And Moonlight can't play it.

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