@Joe
I think this is the first piece of major positive news Silverlight has had.
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Over in the UK, I believe ITV streams online with it aswell and maybe this news will be the thing that pushes it into the spotlight.
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Moonlight has received mixed opinions by the Linux community. I really have no opinion since I dont use it, and like many in my circle of friends I simply dont use sites that have Silverlight on them (no not out of spite, simply the sites I visit dont use it)
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What I would suggest though, how big a deal is this really, if you sit and think about it? in the UK we will see the same show live through BBC NEWS 24 either on SKY/DIGITAL or via their streaming on BBCplay(which doesnt use Silverlight).
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I do hope that Silverlight is up to the task. IMO a failure to deliver what you report Joe would IMO destroy it completely.
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We will see.

You do CELSIUS in the States? Cool. :)

I've been using the Silverlight Netflix player for about 6 weeks now, and I can say it works a ton better than their old WMP plugin. Not that Flash is bad, but it's nice to see MS put out a good competing product...

It looks like they bragged a little early (as usual). If CNN is right almost every online news outlet will be streaming the festivities. Mostly in flash I presume.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/16/inauguration.online/

Is Silverlight the only option?

Joe;

First off, kudos on the metric system, I love this system over the American standard. Secondly, I am happy that the new incoming U.S. Administration is taking advantage of the newer media technology available on the Internet.

I do some development of my own in Flash Professional CS4 and I haven't even touched Silverlight, for me, other than visiting a website that uses it, that's as far as I go with it -- Just a user and am indifferent as a user, as long as I get whatever I am after.

I don't know or care if Silverlight is compatible with the Linux OS is one is a Linux user. However, for compatibility sake, so that EVERYONE can gain access through the medium, the government should accommodate these videos and files to all. Meaning, if Silverlight cannot be use by Linux folks, there should be alternative files that people can view and or use.

interesting news:
Economist suggests federal funding of Open Source
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/398/1050398/economist-suggests-federal-funding-of-open-source
Baker wrote, "The government can spend $2 billion a year to develop open source software". He mentioned Linux and "other forms of free software". And he thinks that spending federal money to develop open sauce programmes could put a complete catalogue of free software into the hands of computer users throughout the world, yielding long-term economic benefits.
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It was more interesting,wasn't it?.

Obama's inauguration is being streamed in format that we Linux users cannot handle? But he's delaying the switch from analog TV to full digital TV so that stupid couch potatoes everywhere won't have to miss a single episode of Jerry Springer?

Then I found "4G war, conflicts of interest loom behind possible DTV delay" at:

arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090114-4g-war-conflict-of-interests-loom-behind-possible-dtv-delay.html

And then I realized that this politician is no different from the previous ones. Change? The only change you'll find is what you can dig out of your pockets and your sofa. Turn the economy around? Don't bet on it.

@Marco
That's a great, balanced article you point to there - about government funding of "open sauce". I take it out of "News, reviews, facts and friction" that would come under the friction recipe. But I do love the "tax incentives for shorter working weeks and more holiday time off" idea. I'm sure that will get the ecomony and good 'ol American productivity on an unstoppable roll...

Maybe yes or maybe not, but quoting the article:
"It's worth serious discussion, even if only to have the great fun of getting to watch Microsoft and a bunch of other proprietary software vendors scream bloody murder to high heaven"

Because Microsoft and the "bunch of other proprietary software vendors" and the 10's of thousands of people they employ aren't contributing in a meaningful way to the ecomonomy? And open source somehow magically is/will? Sounds more like "special sauce" than "open sauce". But right, it's about having fun messing with people not about what might actually make a difference. Whatever.

Apparently you are forgetting all open source software economic benefit to move forward simple and convenient field; "proprietary software vendors"
Typical ,it remember to me; The Far Left Hand of God : "Its a common form of Propaganda to mislead by omission. You know, leave out a fact or two."
"Now maybe you did not mean too, but one does wonder when someone new with just a surname pops out of nowhere with a post like yours."
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I could say:"It's worth serious discussion, even if only to have the great fun of getting to watch Microsoft and a bunch of 'MS'fans' scream bloody murder to high heaven"...but..Whatever

From Joe's article:
Today, Microsoft announced—and quite proudly, I must say—that Tuesday's historic presidential inauguration would be streamed using Silverlight.
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And Joe, are you really that surprised? Come on man, follow the money, look at where the money is coming from.

www.xconomy.com/seattle/2008/12/30/gates-ballmer-head-list-of-obama-donors/

memex.naughtons.org/archives/2008/12/30/6034

Just business as usual.

To Toostep :
Ah, and I was forgetting no matter what you or I could want, the market forces will be imposing to the end.
therefore better start to get used to the idea of Open Source domination (or "open sauce" if you like)He,he

I don't work for Microsoft, nor any other proprietary software vendor. I’m not a fanboy of anything, sorry. I have a job and typically don't have time to spend religiously lurking on sites dropping, almost unintelligible pseudo-religious like ramblings. Today I made comment. I think if I’m not mistaken the site is open for anyone in the public to do the same.

I’m not exactly sure what the “convenient field” comment was supposed to mean – other than maybe trying to imply open source = good and proprietary = evil – which seems to be the cultist line. Nor for that matter what the Far Left Hand of God has to do with anything, other than trying to solidify my point about religious style zealousness. But thanks for the entertainment.

"I don't work for Microsoft, nor any other proprietary software vendor. I’m not a fanboy of anything, sorry."

OK....Whatever

"Moonlight has received mixed opinions by the Linux community"... Really? So what, the two of you guys were split? ZING!

To Rick : Ha,ha,ha Good joke!
I did not know that The Borg has sense of humor.

To Samuel L Bronowitz:
And Joe, are you really that surprised? Come on man, follow the money, look at where the money is coming from

"Just business as usual."
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Very well said, sir.

To Marco:
I noticed that as soon as Samuel L Bronowitz posted those link on where the money came from, that those with the "surnames" came out attacking you as "religious style zealousness." And I have seen other posts recently of those who claimed to be called shills, all from new recent posters.

It seems to me that you, Marco, Chips, Goblin, Will, Ralph, and many others, are going out of your way to be nice to these folks, if they are indeed that. Its the new MS shill stategy to paint us all as Extremists, instead of just folks who have found a better and far freer way of using a computer, without all the problems of MS Software.

But me, I don't need to be so nice to obvious sockpuppets/trolls. They don't even rate as Microsoft Shills in my book. They have nothing, to agrue with, no fact, no links, no reasoning. If they did, would not everyone have seen that by now.

Yes, you are right The Far.., the new 'modus operandis'(manner of working) is that. I was waiting something like that.You know Windows seven=$$$$$!!

I think I'll watch this one on TV. :)

no tin / silver / solder (ms anything) light on my MAC. I don't even allow ms mice near it :) I voted for the O Man.... I'll stick to google to see what he is up to. I did hear rumors that Obama hung out with some low lifes... this takes the Cake :)

oh may I add this is not about open source vs closed. This is about a monopoly going after another proprietary vendors (ADOBE) bread and butter. MS can't kill FOSS but they have a very strong track record of destroying any competition via their Monopoly....

Awww O...I was proud of you for using FOSS to make your way into the white house (PHP based website) and now look at what you go an do. Don't help ties us all to one company. That just doesn't fit your beliefs.

May be the first mistake of the new US President.
There will be a lot of folks in the world who just cannot afford to watch the inauguration , at least not on the web.

Celsius isn't “metric”; the SI unit of temperature is Kelvin. After all, 0°C is no less arbitrary a point than 0°F.

22°C is 295 K.

Quote "t seems to me that you, Marco, Chips, Goblin, Will, Ralph, and many others, are going out of your way to be nice to these folks, if they are indeed that. Its the new MS shill stategy to paint us all as Extremists,"
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@left hand of God:
(lol) I think the message gets distorted if people sink to the levels that some of the suspected or alleged shills do.
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For me personally its about not giving ammunition to them. Its difficult enough to expose the lies and if I have to justify remarks that Ive made, it gives me more work. Thats my take on it.
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I do believe there are some genuine happy MS customers who post here. I believe David (who did the Windows 7 preview) is one and I everyone had a sensible conversation with him after he produced that indepth, interesting post with his good experience of the Beta.
That to me is what these comments are all about, giving all the opinions and letting others make up their own mind. If some of the suspected shill posters could be trusted to post truthfully, then there would be no heated debate and simply a list of pros/cons for all options. Thats what I would like to see MS-Watch become.
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Good spot Left Hand. I refuse to lower myself to the proprietary pushers level (of which can I add not everyone with a pro-ms opinion is)
I think also we are fighting against years of these pushers telling people lies about alternatives, so for me it is important that we come across in open way, but more importantly we dont resort to the tactics they do.
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Great talking to you Left Hand of God.

How did this turn into an open source vs Mircosoft discussion?

At the moment there is the option of Flash (closed) and Microsoft (partially open with moonlight).

Does it even matter from an open source point of view with of the both gets picked?

@Nick
I really don't see something good in Microsoft competing with a new product. Not as it is now. If there had been some kind of commonly used open standard for streaming media delivery, and Microsoft had delivered a new product that executed that standard better than already existing products it would have been great. Now, it's only yet anothoer way of doing the same old things. The only thing that it leads to is more incompatibility, more expensive development and testing.

@Charlie
There are open source implementations of flash as well. So from the open source point of view both of them are just as bad. What's needed is not necessarily open source applications but open freely implementable standards for doing these kinds of things.

@Lawrence, the SI unit is kelvin. Without the caps. Celsius is commonly accepted as metric, just doesn't happen to have the zero at absolute zero, but at a more relevant point to humans: freezing point of water. Unlike Fahrenheit which uses ammonium chloride mix as a reference.

K=C + m (m=273.15)

which is simpler than from Fahrenheit:

K=([F] + 459.67) × 5⁄9

Think of it as meters vs feet in airplanes. There's above ground level (celsius) and above sea level (kelvin), but they're both in meters. If you call the doctor and say your son's body temperature is 310.75 degrees (a mild fever) he'd recommend you take him out of the oven.

If Silverlight is of the same quality of most MS products it will not go too far and will change nothing; especially for technical people. Adobe will continue to be the "top dog" even if Flash is not as good as it should be.

I really dont care about your presidential inauguration, If it was a fair competition you'd run Silverlight along side of Flash and see which is used more, but seeing that it is the land of the great MONOPOLY suck eggs America for allowing one company for getting so big and allowing it to pull such a restrictive practice.

A Netizen from another country

@Lawrence,

Not all metric unit are SI. In fact most are not. Centimeters and grams leap readily to mind.

@Charlie,

Arguably, from an "open source" perspective this makes no difference, but from a free(dom) software perspective it makes a great deal of difference. While I am no fan of Adobe, their technology is already about as widespread as possible; i.e. that battle has already (at least for now) been lost. Plus there is free software (Gnash) that can play at least some Adobe Flash content. But moves like what's reported here serve to help Microsoft in its aim to make Silverligt/Moonlight ubiquitous. And I still regard MS as a mortal enemy of free software, their soothing noises toward "open source" notwithstanding. And while Gnash, as free software, continues to make strides toward playing Adobe Flash, no such happy solution exists for Silverlight/Moonlight since they depend on Mono and other proprietary MS technology.

In this instance the closed source open source thing doesn't really matter.

The fact is Flash is available on all major platforms and Silverlight isn't.

And before anyone says Linux users should try Moonlight I point out that most sites are now using Silverlight 2, including the Inaugration site, which Moonlight does not yet support.

A campaign/administration which is based on inclusiveness has just excluded anyone using a Linux computer

This is most likely msft sponsored and is not a long term solution. Give me youtube, MLB, PGA Tour, NFL, NBA and NHL all year round.

These cheap comparisons with sponsored wins means nothing. Flash is the standard, msft spinners love to push out articles but people making the decisions on pushing out apps to a global marketplace know Flash is the platform.

Joe - Whats wrong with that? Whats your point anyway? I have personally used Silverlight and it is awesome. I think this is a good strategy by MS to increase product adoption.

I for one won't be watching the inauguration.

And who in America cares what the temperature measured in Celsius is?

Moonlight had been fixe yesterday night to show the presidential

here is the link

http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2009/Jan-20.html

OS, Web Server and Hosting History from Netcraft:

www.whitehouse.gov was running Apache on Linux when last queried at 19-Jan-2009 05:49:53 GMT

OS Server Last changed IP address Netblock Owner
Linux Apache 19-Jan-2009 92.122.122.135 Akamai Technologies
...

@Philosopher;

Who really cares what server this is hosted on? Are you trying to make a point that this site is hosted on Linucks?

You do know the site is development in Microsoft VS.net technology right?

@Philosopher;

Who really cares what server this is hosted on? Are you trying to make a point that this site is hosted on Linucks?

You do know the site is development in Microsoft VS.net technology right?

It seems Chumping is attempting to go back on many threads and get the last, childish and distorted word on the topic.
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Oh dear Chumping, I believe you've exposed who you are (please feel free to deny)
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Readers, ask yourself this. Which other one of our "new" handles here links to a site that doesnt belong to them and sometime double posts by accident?
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Draoi.
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They must be having some sort of joke that Im just not getting, surely nobody can be this obvious?
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To anyone with an interest in Microsoft:
Please read the link with a interesting report on Microsoft:
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2234739/microsoft-staff-brace-major-job
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Id start worrying Draoi, and btw, when I get a response from the last site you were linking to in your handle, I will post it here.

@Chumpin':
Re:"Who really cares what server this is hosted on?"
Lots of folks. Who doesn't care? Lots of other folks. What's your point?

Re: "Are you trying to make a point that this site is hosted on Linucks?"
No. I'm just relaying information that the site is hosted on Linux. I'm not sure what this Linucks is that you refer to. Maybe it's made by the same consortium that makes WinBlows and YouNix?

Re: "You do know the site is development in Microsoft VS.net technology right?"
I only know that your grammar is so pathetically poor that your question makes no sense at all.

No, i didn't watch the coronation - er - inaugural. So it made no difference to me whether Silverlight was featured or not. But that's typical Microsoft - they HAVE to "dominate" every aspect of life, so they just couldn't help themselves, they HAD to build a competing system to Flash - like we really needed that from them.

Meanwhile, back in the White House, we see the true Bush tech legacy:

http://cultofmac.com/mac-president-finds-a-pc-white-house/7392

I love this system over the American standard. Secondly, I am happy that the new incoming U.S. Administration is taking advantage of the newer media technology available on the Internet.
I do some development of my own in Flash Professional CS4 and I haven't even touched Silverlight, for me, other than visiting a website that uses it, that's as far as I go with it -- Just a user and am indifferent as a user, as long as I get whatever I am after.