Silverlight 2.0 Roadmap

From: weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/

Two months ago we shipped Silverlight 1.0 for Mac and Windows, and announced our plans to deliver Silverlight on Linux. Silverlight 1.0 is focused on enabling rich media scenarios in a browser, and supports a JavaScript/AJAX programming model.

Next year we will be releasing a major update of Silverlight that focuses on enabling rich Internet applications. This release will include a cross-platform, cross-browser version of the .NET Framework, and will enable a rich .NET development platform in the browser. Earlier this year we shipped an early Alpha containing some of the basic functionality of the release. Our next public preview will add considerably to this feature set. Some of the new .NET specific features in the next public Silverlight preview will include:

WPF UI Framework: The current Silverlight Alpha release only includes basic controls support and a managed API for UI drawing. The next public Silverlight preview will add support for the higher level features of the WPF UI framework. These include: the extensible control framework model, layout manager support, two-way data-binding support, and control template and skinning support. The WPF UI Framework features in Silverlight will be a compatible subset of the WPF UI Framework features in last week's .NET Framework 3.5 release.

Rich Controls: Silverlight will deliver a rich set of controls that make building Rich Internet Applications much easier. The next Silverlight preview release will add support for core form controls (textbox, checkbox, radiobutton, etc), built-in layout management controls (StackPanel, Grid, etc), common functionality controls (TabControl, Slider, ScrollViewer, ProgressBar, etc) and data manipulation controls (DataGrid, etc).

Rich Networking Support: Silverlight will deliver rich networking support. The next Silverlight preview release will add support for REST, POX, RSS, and WS* communication. It will also add support for cross domain network access (so that Silverlight clients can access resources and data from any trusted source on the web).

Rich Base Class Library Support: Silverlight will include a rich .NET base class library of functionality (collections, IO, generics, threading, globalization, XML, local storage, etc). The next Silverlight preview release will also add built-in support for LINQ to XML and richer HTML DOM API integration.

Previously we've been referring to this .NET-enabled Silverlight release as "Silverlight V1.1". After stepping back and looking at all the new features in it (the above list is only a subset - there are many more we aren't sharing yet), we've realized that calling it a point release doesn't really reflect the true nature of it. Consequently we have decided to change the name and refer to it as "Silverlight V2.0" going forward.

We will be releasing a Beta of Silverlight 2.0 in Q1 of 2008. This Beta will support a Go-Live license that enables developers to begin building and deploying Silverlight 2.0 applications.

We will also be releasing a free Visual Studio 2008 tools update that provides great Silverlight 2.0 tools support within Visual Studio 2008, and enables developers to easily build Silverlight applications using any .NET language. We will be supporting Silverlight development with both the Visual Studio 2008 Standard/Professional products, as well as with the free Visual Studio 2008 Express editions.

I'm going to be starting a new blog tutorial series in a few weeks that discusses how to build Silverlight 2.0 applications, and show off the new features in more depth. Stay tuned for more details soon.

译文:

2个月前，我们发布了可用于Mac和Windows的Silverlight 1.0，同时宣布了准备在Linux上推出Silverlight的计划。Silverlight 1.0注重于在浏览器中促成丰富的媒体场景，以及支持一个JavaScript/AJAX编程模型。 

明年，我们将推出Silverlight的一个重大的更新版，注重于促进RIA应用的开发。这个发布将包括跨平台，跨浏览器版本的.NET Framework，促成浏览器中的丰富的.NET开发平台。今年早些时候，我们发布了一个早期Alpha版本，内含一些该产品的基本的功能。我们下一个 公开预览版将显著增加功能集。在下一个Silverlight公开预览版中将包括下面这些特定于.NET的新特性： 

#WPF UI Framework(界面框架): 目前的Silverlight Alpha版只包含一些基本的控件支持以及一个绘制界面的托管API.下一Silverlight公开预览版将增加对WPF界面框架的更高级特性的支持.这些包括:可扩展的控件框架模型,布局管理器支持,双向数据绑定支持,控件模板和皮肤支持.Silverlight中的WPF界面框架将是与上个星期发布的.NET Framework 3.5中的WPF界面框架的一个兼容子集.
#丰富的控件: Silverlight将提供一套丰富的控件,使得建造RIA应用极其容易.Silverlight的下一个公开预览版将增加对核心表单控件(文本框,复选框,单选框等),内置的布局管理控件(StackPanel, Grid等),常用的功能控件(TabControl, Slider, ScrollViewer, ProgressBar等),以及数据操作控件(DataGrid等)等的支持.
#丰富的网络支持: Silverlight将提供丰富的网络支持.下一个预览版将增加对REST, POX, RSS, 和 WS* 通讯的支持.它还将增加对跨域网络访问的支持(这样Silverlight客户端可以访问网上任何一个可信任来源的资源和数据).
#丰富的基本类库支持: Silverlight将包括丰富的.NET基本功能类库的支持 (集合,IO,泛型,线程,全球化,XML,本地储存等).下一个公开预览版还将增加对LINQ to XML和与更丰富的HTML DOM API集成的内置支持.

我们以前一直把这个启用了.NET的Silverlight版本称为“Silverlight V1.1”。在退后一步，仔细看了其中包括的所有新功能之后（上面列出的只不过是一部分功能而已，还有许许多多的特性我们还没透露呢），我们意识到，将其 称为1.1实在没有反映出它的真实本性来。因此，我们决定改名，在以后将其称为“Silverlight V2.0”。 

我们将在2008年的第一个季度发布Silverlight 2.0的Beta版。这个Beta将支持一个Go-Live许可，允许开发人员开始建造和部署Silverlight 2.0应用。 

我 们还将发布一个免费的Visual Studio 2008工具更新，以在Visual Studio 2008内提供极棒的Silverlight 2.0工具支持，允许开发人员轻松地使用任何.NET语言建造Silverlight 应用。我们将同时在Visual Studio 2008的标准和专业版以及免费的Visual Studio 2008 Express版本中支持Silverlight开发。 

我将在几个星期内开始撰写一个新的博客教程系列，讨论如何建造Silverlight 2.0应用，深入透彻地展示其中的新功能。欲知详情，请留意我的博客。