Preface

 

Coding on the client is fun. I started on the Commodore 64 in seventh grade in the 1980s; later moved to DOS with dBASE, QuickBasic, and C++; and eventually began Windows programming using C++, Borland Delphi 1.0, PowerBuilder, Visual Basic 3-6, and .NET. I like the ozone smell of making my CPU work for a living. I like being able to tap into the power of the local machine. I want to be able to hear the individual bits moving across the bus.

I like client application development, and I really like XAML. I like Silverlight, WPF, and Windows 8 XAML. I even like working in the WPF subset on the .NET Micro Framework and Gadgeteer boards I own. Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially dangerous I’ll write some C++, or C, or even a little assembly. It’s all about the power.

A year and a half ago, Manning published Silverlight 4 in Action. As proud as I am of that book, I’m even more excited to bring you this updated version. Not only because of the work involved in bringing you this edition, but because of how far Silverlight has come in that time. With Silverlight 5, Silverlight has the power.[1]

1 And now, you have C&C Music Factory’s “I Got the Power” looping in your head. You can thank me later.