Microsoft announced the end of support for Silverlight in 2015, and the plugin was officially retired in 2021. The company has since focused on other technologies, such as HTML5, .NET, and Azure.
The Silverlight plugin was a browser extension that allowed Silverlight content to run on a user's web browser. The plugin was available for several popular browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. microsoft plugin silverlight
This is the story of how Microsoft tried to own the web’s engine, and why the web fought back. Microsoft announced the end of support for Silverlight
In a plugin-based world, the web is fractured. If you are on an iPhone, you can’t install a plugin. If you are on a Linux machine, you might be out of luck. The user had to stop, download an installer, and restart their browser just to view content. The plugin was available for several popular browsers,
Microsoft saw an opening. In 2007, they launched Silverlight. It wasn't just a "me-too" product; it was technically brilliant. Unlike Flash, which required learning a proprietary animation timeline, Silverlight allowed developers to use the .NET framework and C#—languages millions of enterprise developers already knew. It was a "Flash killer" designed to bring the power of desktop applications right into the browser.