Product Description

Microsoft Silverlight is a leading cross-platform, Rich Internet Application (RIA) technology that allows you to create more compelling and interactive Web experiences than were possible with simple HTML browser pages. Silverlight 3 includes significant improvements over previous versions, including “out-of-browser” operation, H.264 video, 3D graphics, and real-time effects.

Essential Silverlight 3 is the definitive reference and insider’s guide. It not only covers all the key features of Silverlight 3 and how to use them but, in Under the Hood sections, explains why each feature was developed and how each one works. These “insider” explanations often lead to concise, practical performance tips that can help you speed up your own Silverlight applications.

Author Ashraf Michail is uniquely qualified to explain Silverlight 3. He is a Microsoft Silverlight architect who has guided Silverlight from its beginnings through the current version. In this book, he shows how to

• Integrate the principles and components of a Silverlight application, including XAP, XAML and .NET code

• Use Silverlight vector graphics, bitmap images, and animation

• Display predictable and readable text across platforms and animate text elements

• Obtain mouse and keyboard input, including mouse wheel events

• Implement smooth animations to improve your user interface and make your application more pleasing to the user

• Use the Canvas, StackPanel, Grid, and Border elements to lay out your application and define custom layout elements

• Play high-quality, live, and on-demand video and audio

• Use and customize the built-in and toolkit controls and develop new custom Silverlight controls

• Connect to and synchronize with data using Silverlight data binding

• Use built-in real-time effects and define custom HLSL pixel shaders

• Enable GPU-accelerated rendering

If you are a developer who is getting started with Silverlight or an expert Silverlight developer that is interested in understanding the inner workings of the Silverlight runtime, this book is for you.

About the Author

Ashraf Michail is the only Microsoft architect who has continued to work on Silverlight since the original project began. In 2001, he joined Microsoft's newly forming WPF team, where he built the GPU accelerated graphics engine used to render WPF content and included in the Vista Desktop Window Manager. In 2004, he became a WPF architect focused on improving the end-to-end WPF experience. In 2005, he became an architect on the new Silverlight team, where he is currently working on Silverlight's next release. With nine years of experience delivering web platforms and rendering engines, Michail's deep insights have guided Silverlight's design.

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