FAQ - What do I need to develop Silverlight 2 Beta 1 apps

Tue, May 13, 2008, 07:43 AM under Silverlight
Based on questions I receive, there seems to be some confusion as to what needs to be installed in order to develop Silverlight applications.
You only need ONE download: Silverlight 2 Beta 1 Tools for Visual Studio 2008 RTM (notice the file name is "chainer"). Note that this is not compatible with the recently released Orcas SP1.
Optionally, if you have designer friends or you are a graphically inclined developer, you can download the Expression Blend 2.5 CTP (build 2.1.1113.0 is the one that also works with .NET Framework v3.5 SP1). The truth is that if you aspire to create truly rich Silverlight applications, you will need to hire designer people and have them use Blend.

The confusion arises because we have other downloads, which are actually included with the chainer install at the top so no need to install separately:
1. Runtime - essential as this is the actual SL plugin (and also the only thing end users need to install – about 4MB taking about 4-10 seconds)
2. SDK - Includes the asp:Silverlight control that you place on aspx pages and also a whole bunch of Silverlight assemblies that you may wish to use (and deploy) with your Silverlight application.

If you are having trouble getting everything installed, read this highly referenced post and if you are still having problems post them to the dedicated forum.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008 10:34:00 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
You should also stay away from netfx 3.5 SP1 Beta 1 (yes, its a long name), which also means staying away from VS 2008 SP1 Beta 1. Neither is compatible with either of the goodies mentioned.
Monday, May 19, 2008 12:06:08 PM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Tanveer: Thanks, that is already in the post if you read carefully. Note that "Orcas" was the codename for netfx 3.5 and VS2008.
Thursday, September 4, 2008 2:54:00 AM (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-07:00)
Hey The Moth, thanks for this amazing post... nice elaboration of the topic...
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