Deep Zoom Is Coming to Silverlight for Linux

Deep Zoom, a feature based on technology developed by Microsoft, which allows for unprecedented zooming and panning capabilities of online images, is coming to Silverlight on Linux. Moonlight, the open source implementation of Silverlight for Linux and Unix, will support Deep Zoom starting with Build Alpha of version 2.0, which Novell, responsible for Moonlight's development, estimates will be available come March 2009.

“March 2009 Moonlight 2.0 Alpha release includes: Silverlight 2.0 compatible engine; Deep Zoom ontrol framework; Layout framework; Microsoft Media Pack 2.0 for playing video and audio; includes Mono for executing code (C# and DLR-based languages); runs the Silverlight 2.0 MS-PL controls and 2.0 based applications,” revealed Bruce Kyle, ISV architect evangelist.

Novell is currently working to deliver the first Beta of Moonlight 1.0, trying to keep up with Microsoft. The Redmond company has already started offering Silverlight 2, and is now shifting its focus onward on version 3. By stretching Silverlight to Linux, the software giant is attempting to deliver the promise associated with the plug-in's definition, which advertises the technology as cross-browser, cross-platform and cross-device.

With Silverlight, Microsoft is challenging Adobe's domination with Flash in the field of interactivity and Rich Internet Applications. The Redmond company already claims that Silverlight is installed on one in four computers worldwide. Even so, however, Silverlight is still far from Flash, which is now virtually ubiquitous, as it is present on over 90% of the world's computers.

“November's Moonlight 1.0 Beta includes: support for Microsoft's Media Pack 1.0 for playing back video and audio; Silverlight 1.0 compatible engine; scriptable with the browser JavaScript; C/C++ based, no managed code; distribution: Linux/x86 and Linux/x86-64; source code releases for any other operating systems,” Kyle added.