■ INTRODUCTION
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Introduction
Silverlight is a web-based platform from Microsoft that can be used to build Rich Internet Applications
(RIAs). Of the many new possibilities it enables, one of its key focuses is as a platform for building
business applications. Community support for the technology has been overwhelmingly positive, and
Microsoft has gone on to use it within a number of other products such as LightSwitch, Windows Azure
(in its portal), and Microsoft Lync, as well as offering it as means of developing Windows Phone 7
applications.
If you’ve previously developed Windows Presentation Framework (WPF) applications, you’ll already
have a good foundation for developing Silverlight applications. If you have only been exposed to
Windows Forms and ASP.NET development, Silverlight development will no doubt be a brave new
world—one with a steep learning curve, but ultimately, the benefits make the initial effort worthwhile.
However, with this book to help you through your journey, you should find a lot of pain taken out of the
learning curve; this book will guide you in the right direction while you build your first business
application in Silverlight.
Who This Book Is For
This book covers not just Silverlight as a technology but also the important concepts in designing and
developing business applications. From structuring your application to actually implementing features,
it covers the complete development life span for a business application in Silverlight.
To follow along with this book, you should know your way around Visual Studio well, have a
reasonable degree of familiarity with C# and its features (such as generics and LINQ, although experience
with a similar language such as Visual Basic or Java may suffice), be comfortable with designing and
querying databases, and have a good understanding of object-oriented design (OOD). Some prior
business application development experience (or understanding of what building a business application
entails) is an advantage but isn’t absolutely necessary, as I will discuss the reasoning behind many of the
concepts unique to business application development as needed. However, you may need to refer to
alternative sources for more information when the concepts are particularly complex and detailed. For
example, a good understanding of design patterns (such as those described in the influential book Design
Patterns, by the authors typically referred to as the Gang of Four [Addison-Wesley, 1994]) is important
when designing business applications, but complete coverage of these in the context of designing
Silverlight applications is really a whole book in its own right.
About This Book
This is not a book simply about Silverlight as a technology, and it isn’t about covering Silverlight from
end to end. Silverlight features such as streaming video, Deep Zoom, 3D graphics, animations, sounds,
and others that are not generally core requirements in business applications will not be covered. This
book specifically targets the needs of those designing and developing business applications using
Silverlight as a development platform. That said, you may be well versed in the process of business
application design and merely be interested in how to apply your knowledge to developing business
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