14 DAY TRIAL // As Microsoft made another step forward toward the finalization of its Adobe Flash killer, Silverlight 1.0 Beta is left for dead. As of August 1, 2007, the beta version of Silverlight 1.0 expired. This information was delivered by Microsoft in the product's EULA. But not only Silverlight 1.0 Beta is considered time-sensitive software. The first release candidate of Silverlight 1.0 is also time-bombed, however, the migration to the final version will be streamlined as the code will not change. "Silverlight 1.0 RC expires on November 1st, 2007. By that stage, we'll have auto-upgraded the runtime to the final release - and unlike the beta -> RC migration, this will be seamless since there are no breaking changes between the RC and the final versions," explained Tim Sneath, the Group Manager for Client Platforms.
But on the way to the final version of Silverlight 1.0, Microsoft is now getting ready to make available the second release candidate. On August 1, Sneath revealed that while the company is indeed closing in on the final version of its Flash alternative, an update will be introduced to the existing Silverlight RC build. The update is already on its way and it will refresh Silverlight 1.0 RC1 build 20724 to build 20730 or Release Candidate 2. You will only be able to receive the RC2 build via the software's update mechanism.
"This is one of a few critical updates that we'll be pushing down over the next couple of weeks to test the update mechanism. All updates will require a restart at some time to take advantage of the functionality changes. All prompted updates can be "postponed" by not restarting the process until you are ready; when you next restart the browser or open a new window, you'll see the updated version (you can right click on any Silverlight content and choose "Silverlight Configuration" to see which build is actually running). There's no additional work required to support this release - there are zero breaking changes compared to the RC1 release, and you don't need to update your silverlight.js file or anything else for your code to work," Sneath added.
Silverlight 1.0 Release Candidate 2 is not associated with any security updates. Sneath underlined this aspect informing that the additional build is designed to help Microsoft test the "update broadcast system." However, the last bits of the product will be offered in this manner, so you should update Silverlight. According to Sneath, RC2 will not be the only update introduced until the final version is made available.