Rebooting the Web

Microsoft “rebooted the Web” yesterday…

Robert Scoble’s simple remark is the best summary that I have seen of the potential impact of Silverlight – we may be at the beginning of a major technology shift.

Most network applications have traditionally been asymmetric, with programs and data residing on the server and the client side relegated to data presentation and input.

Now Silverlight’s new support for powerful “server-side” languages in the client changes that balance and opens the possibility of radically different architectures. And this, in turn, will enable a range of exciting new applications.

Personal computers existed before IBM introduced the PC in 1981. What IBM did was to set a standard of quality and technology for the PC industry and to “legitimize” the use of desktop computers. IBM’s 1981 PC announcement was the “tipping point” leading to massive changes in the IT industry.

I think that Microsoft’s 2007 Silverlight announcement will have equally profound effects.

Smalltalk/DLR – Class Browser Menus

Above is Smalltalk/DLR running in a Firefox browser with Silverlight 1.1.

• Download Silverlight 1.1 runtime
• Open “Virtual Desktop” test in your browser

There are two new popup menus added to the ClassBrowser. The method text panel now has a “Save” selection which compiles the method source code. Also, there is a popup menu in the method list panel with a single “Remove” choice to allow removing methods from a class.

Slowly, some basic Smalltalk tools  are becoming functional in the Silverlight environment. Most of my recent effort has been on numerous minor improvements in the “look-and-feel” of the various controls.

The next major tool in development is a DesignSurface for graphics and animations. I hope to post a prototype within the next few days.