Why can't MS create a new browser based on .Net? | Tech Off

footballism
Another Paradigm Shift!

-> This is the reason silverlight needs a runtime in the browser to pull off its magic.

This is an interesting hypothesis, could you please elaborate on which basis you make this type of conclusion, you don't know that SL could be hosted out of browser?

Zhou Yong

footballism
Another Paradigm Shift!

In reply to staceyw

#Jun 17th @ 8:09 PM

-> 3) Make client follow ASP.Net component model and pipeline on the client. Can hook in anywhere in the pipeline. Allows you to program and script your browser UX and sessions.

If you use WPF for a reasonable period of time, you might think WPF's control/component model is much better.

Zhou Yong

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to footballism

#Jun 19th @ 12:23 AM

"This is an interesting hypothesis, could you please elaborate on which basis you make this type of conclusion, you don't know that SL could be hosted out of browser?"

Hi Zhou. You missed my point. You keep saying .Net would provide little value. Silverlight is essentially a browser that using XAML instead of HTML. That is a good example of .Nets value, and it is not slow. In fact, switching content can be orders faster then older methods. SL3 can be hosted out of browser, but not sure how that fits to what we are saying.

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to footballism

#Jun 19th @ 12:26 AM

"If you use WPF for a reasonable period of time, you might think WPF's control/component model is much better."

I think I was agreeing with that. I am saying take the same track Scott Gu did with ASP.Net on the browser side using a pipeline model where you can hook in almost anywhere (i.e. redirect popups to a log file if you want, or log site hits, etc) Using powershell snippets or other .Net language.

BitFlipper

Here is a collection of 100% managed HTML rendering controls that show a lot of promise. Maybe MS should hire this guy to work on an official .Net control:

http://htmlrenderer.codeplex.com/

figuerres
???

In reply to footballism

#Jun 19th @ 12:23 AM

"-> This is the reason silverlight needs a runtime in the browser to pull off its magic.

This is an interesting hypothesis, could you please elaborate on which basis you make this type of conclusion, you don't know that SL could be hosted out of browser?

Zhou Yong"

that does not mean that the browser is not there...

the SL3 OOB is just a window on the desktop that is the "Parent COntainer" for the SL runtime to draw into.

if the SL app uses any .Net bits that need to access the IE engine then IE still has to be installed for that to work.

Next is my guess, on a system that does not have IE, like on a Mac the SL runtime hooks on to some local library that supplies the bits?

I might be wrong but that's how i take it the SL3 OOB works.

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to figuerres

#Jun 19th @ 10:39 AM

"that does not mean that the browser is not there..."

I did not say otherwise. The browser (in terms of SL) is really only used for the display canvas and a bridge for clicking back into legacy html pages (IE should feel so used Smiley ) However the browser proper (e.g. IE) is not required for SL. So SL/xaml is, in effect, a new .net based browser - that parses xaml instead of html and has its own display processor. This is shown clearly with SL hosted outside the browser using its own host. My point has only been that .net tech in browser senerios works today and has value, unlike what others are saying. I have only pointed out SL as a prime example.

figuerres
???

In reply to staceyw

#Jun 19th @ 1:14 PM

Stacyw: i was replying to football's question. i agree with your points. i think silverlight is very interesting new development.

in fact i am working on getting familiar with it in hopes of not having to mess with flash in the near future.

i do not really like coding in flashes actionscript.... bleh! .Net Rocks!

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

In reply to figuerres

#Jun 19th @ 5:19 PM

@figuerres. Cool. Have been playing more with it in vs2010 which finally makes it usable for mortals. Blend 3 beta gets close, but 2010 is going to be way cool for SL/WPF. Can't wait till VS 2010 Beta2. Am really liking the SL layout and the sharp look you get and not having to deal with html crazy spacing, paragraphs, and image space hacks, etc. Struggling a bit now on how to deal with layout that goes below the browser window space as it gets clipped and scrolling does not seem to work as expected - but I am almost sure this my issue.

footballism
Another Paradigm Shift!

In reply to staceyw

#Jun 19th @ 1:14 PM

-> So SL/xaml is, in effect, a new .net based browser - that parses xaml instead of html and has its own display processor. This is shown clearly with SL hosted outside the browser using its own host. My point has only been that .net tech in browser senerios works today and has value, unlike what others are saying. I have only pointed out SL as a prime example.

Nope, the parsing of XAML and rendering of SL visual tree are all done in unmanaged code, core CLR is only used to expose those features to managed code, since in V1, people still needs to use Javascript which desktop developers doesn't enjoy writing and web developers are tired of writing in it too, so core CLR is just very thin wrapper around the underlying unmanaged SL runtime.

Actually, the existing WebBrowser control could be retrofitted to workaround the infamous airspace issue by rendering HTML in HWNDless mode, no need to rewrite it from scratch.