Major League Baseball Dumps Silverlight For Flash 388
christian.einfeldt writes "This week, Major League Baseball will open without Microsoft's Silverlight at the plate, according to Bob Bowman, CEO of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, which handles much of the back-end operations for MLB and several other leagues and sporting events. The change was decided on last year but was set to be rolled out this spring. Among the causes of MLB's disillusionment with Silverlight were technical glitches users experienced, including needing administrator privileges to install the plugin (often impossible in workplaces). Baseball's opening day last year was plagued by Silverlight instability, with many users unable to log on and others unable to watch games. Adobe Flash already exists on 99% of user machines, said Bowman, and Adobe is 'committed to the customer experience in video with the Flash Player.' MLBAM's decision to dump Silverlight is particularly problematic for Microsoft's effort to compete with Adobe, due to the fact that MLBAM handles much of the back-end operations for CBS' Webcasts of the NCAA Basketball Tournament and this year will do the encoding for the 2009 Masters golf tournament."
Re:MSFT Icon is stale. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:MSFT Icon is stale. (Score:5, Funny)
This is off topic, but Slashdot's MSFT icon is stale.
I agree. I think the new icon should be a flying chair.
Yow! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:work (Score:1, Funny)
Me? Because my work blocks porn.
Microsoft releases Silverlight 2.0, nobody cares (Score:4, Funny)
Microsoft today announced the release of version 2.0 of its world-beating Silverlight multimedia platform for the Web. As a replacement for Adobe's Flash, it is widely considered utterly superfluous [today.com] and of no interest to anyone who could be found.
"We have a fabulous selection of content partners for Silverlight," announced Microsoft marketer Scott Guthrie on his blog today. "NBC for the Olympics, which delivered millions of new users to BitTorrent. The Democrat National Committee, which is fine because those Linux users are all Ron Paul weirdos anyway. It comes with rich frameworks, rich controls, rich networking support, a rich base class library, rich media support, oh God kill me now. My options are underwater, my resume's a car crash, Google won't call me back. My life is an exercise in futility. I'm the walking dead, man. The walking dead."
Silverlight was created by Microsoft to leverage its desktop monopoly on Windows, to work off the tremendous sales and popularity of Vista. Flash is present on a pathetic 96% of all computers connected to the Internet, whereas Silverlight downloads are into the triple figures.
"But it's got DRM!" cried Guthrie. "Netflix loved it! And web developers love us too, after all we did for them with IE 6. Wait, come back! We'll put porn on it! Free porn!"
Similar Microsoft initiatives include its XPS replacement for Adobe PDF, its HD Photo replacement for JPEG photographs and its earlier Liquid Motion attempt to replace Flash. Also, that CD-ROM format Vista defaults to which no other computers can read.
In a Microsoft internal security sweep, Guthrie's own desktop was found to still be running Windows XP.
Re:Why make the leap in the first place? (Score:5, Funny)
I wish the article would have explained why MLB went with Silverlight in the first place
There was a mixup and they thought they were going with the Fleshlight.
Re:Why make the leap in the first place? (Score:5, Funny)
And you have come to that conclusion based on exhaustive research of the preferences and use-patterns of all the people who are currently wearing your underwear.
Re:Why make the leap in the first place? (Score:5, Funny)
So basically, either you have to ask Microsoft to support it or maybe write support yourself, which you'll probably then have to distribute to everyone. Yeah, way to be open...
Oh, that's ENTIRELY WRONG of them!!! I can't imagine what would have happened if, say, Linux had been created with such ideals...
So basically, either you have to ask Linus to support it or maybe write support yourself, which you'll probably then have to distribute to everyone. Yeah, way to be open...
Wow... I'm glad that never happened.
Re:Failures of tech. companies are often social. (Score:5, Funny)
What theories do you have about why Microsoft allowed the failure to happen? Has Microsoft become unable to function?
It goes to the top. Until the board comes to its senses and gets rid of Ballmer, Microsoft is going to continue its slow, steady slouch toward... ... well, toward a lucrative government bailout.
Netflix you listening!!! (Score:2, Funny)
I am willing to miss out on part of my netflix service because because of their awful choice of player. If Hulu and now the MLB can stream full length movies with flash, so can you! And I watch more movies on Hulu because of that!
It's the bottom of the ninth (Score:5, Funny)
MLB is up one zip on that last homerun by Adobe Flash.
"Bud" Selig goes into his windup...and Ballmer gives it tremendous jolt!
It's going, going, and it's gone!
Right off the 'Microsoft will give MLB all the assistance it needs in the way of servers, tech support, and donated Windows Server 2008 licenses in every MLB stadium across the country if you'll install Silverlight' sign in center field!
The crowd is going wild!
They're pouring onto the field!
They've got Selig down and there cramming Ubuntu Server DVDs down his throat!
And wait...they're after Ballmer now hurling chairs...but he seems to be holding them off with free copies of...Yes! Windows XP!
I've never seen anything like this in all my years in Baseball.
This is truly a sad, sad, day.
This is Bob Uecker signing off.
Next, 'Silverlight' returns to MLB after the All Star break 2009. Right after these messages.
It's very obvious (Score:5, Funny)
Flash, savior of the Universe.
Flash, It will save everyone of us
Flash It's a miracle
Flash, King of the impossible
I mean, duh.
Re:Why make the leap in the first place? (Score:4, Funny)
Well sorry to hear that Mr.iPhone user ;)
Re:Why make the leap in the first place? (Score:3, Funny)
And you have come to that conclusion based on exhaustive research of the preferences and use-patterns of all the people who are currently wearing your underwear.
"joocemann" is the CEO of Fruit Of The Loom.