Lightswitch looked very promising at first, BUT then comes Silverlight and spoils it all!

I have to develop a new database driven business application for a small insurance company by the end of March 2011. I figured I could use Lightswitch, that is until the customer made me aware that they wanted the application to run just as well on tablets and smartphones of the likes of the iPad, iPhone and Android phones! So, I'm back to the drawing board now!

Why did Microsoft have to develop yet another proprietary platform (i.e. .NET, XAML, Silverlight) instead of putting its weight behind open standards? I believe few would argue that the most aesthetically designed hardware and software available today is being built by Apple and third parties developing for the Apple hardware. Unfortunately, as long as the Silverlight plugin remains largely tied to the .NET platforms it is never going to see the light on the iPad or iPhone. While Microsoft's strategy might look good from a business and desktop perspective, it seems to leave a void in the mobile arena despite the arrival of the Windows Phone.

When developing an application, one shouldn't have to constantly be worried that it may not run on all the devices out there, especially the mobile devices (which, I believe, is where the future lies).