Top Fundamental Differences Between Windows Runtime And Silverlight

By Author: Ruth Jackson
Total Articles: 51
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With the latest version of Windows 8 and Visual Studio 12 out in the market are you looking for Windows Runtime (WinRT) and Silverlight skilled development professionals? Are you wondering where you can find them to design those cool apps for you? Read on more.

Silverlight developers all across the globe are trying to add Windows Runtime (WinRT) development to their existing skill set. What makes WinRT a viable proposition to learn and execute is the fact that the Windows Runtime apps are built on XAML which in turn is suitable for developing apps for Windows 8. There are some fundamental differences between WinRT and Silverlight which bring out the differences between the two platforms. The first difference that one can notice is that while Windows Runtime apps are primarily built for touch input, Silverlight apps need a mouse and keyboard as primary input devices. Whereas Silverlight apps which are hosted inside a web-browser plug-in can run on a variety of operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS and Linux (via Moonlight), the use of Windows Runtime apps is limited only to Windows 8. While the Silverlight apps ...
... make use of Microsoft .NET Framework from versions 2.0 to 4.5, Windows Runtime apps can work only on the latest version of Microsoft .NET framework which is version 4.5.

While those stated above are the fundamental differences between Windows Runtime and Silverlight, there are differences between the application lifecycles of both these platforms. While the Silverlight app has a completely user driven lifecycle which will continue to run until the user closes the browser on which it is running, Windows Runtime apps are almost completely managed by the Windows 8 environment. Another major difference between these two platforms is brought out by the fact that WinRT applications can be more easily monetized than Silverlight apps. The reason WinRT can make more moolah is the availability of a large number of global markets who have the capacity to discover and purchase the WinRT apps that WinRT developers from various countries develop. This was Silverlight developers’ major woe as they found it very difficult to search for customers who were willing to buy their apps. This with better facilties for apps discovery and with greater reach it makes sense for Silverlight developers to gather experience developing Windows Runtime apps.

If you are an end customer and do not care much about technology, then you need to Hire Silverlight developers who are able to understand your basic business needs and tailor make solutions that run on both Windows 8 as well as a host of operating systems for better reaching out to your customers. The answer lies in judiciously choosing a professional Silverlight and Window Runtime app development company who can facilitate your business by the taking key technical decisions.

Mindfire Solutions, a 13 year old offshore software development company that has an extremely talented pool of skilled Silverlight development professionals who are proficient in Windows Runtime (WinRT) development. We welcome you to view our Silverlight development skills and if you find us a suitable technology partner then rest assured all your Silverlight and WinRT development needs will be perfectly handled.