# .NET and More > Silverlight >  [RESOLVED] What's Silverlight?

## tassa

Hello... I was looking at the showcase of some Silverlight applications and I was wondering, what's Silverlight? Can someone dumb-it down a little bit for me?

I'm going to look for an explanation, but I would like a non-formal one  :Big Grin: .

Thanks in advance!

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## Nightwalker83

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Silverlight



> Microsoft Silverlight is a web application framework with a scope similar to Adobe Flash but with a greater focus on Line of business applications.[citation needed] Version 2, released in October 2008, brought additional interactivity features and support for .NET languages and development tools. Microsoft made the beta of Silverlight 3.0 available on March 18, 2009. The final version was released on July 9, 2009.[1]
> 
> It is compatible with multiple web browser products used on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems. Mobile devices, starting with Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian (Series 60) phones, probably will be supported in 2010.[2][3] A free software implementation by Novell named Moonlight is available to bring compatible functionality to Linux - in cooperation with Microsoft. If you are on a Website with Silverlight and you click on it, you will be redirected from the Microsoft website to the Moonlight website.

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## tassa

Is it solely for web development?

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## techgnome

yep.. pretty much haven't seen a way or a reason to use it for desktop apps...

-tg

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## tassa

Well, I guess this thread is resolved!Thanks  :Big Grin:

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## gep13

> yep.. pretty much haven't seen a way or a reason to use it for desktop apps...
> 
> -tg


For desktop applications you would use WPF.  Silverlight is the web implementation of WPF.

Gary

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