Silverlight hits 5.0, Microsoft silent as to its future | nerds, wow nerd, nerds candy, nerd glasses, virtual nerd, nerd salon, nerd day, nerd pass, ask nerd

Last we heard, there were whispers that Redmond’s favorite runtime / framework / Flash-killer was due for a fresh release “soon.” Confirming those rumors is version 5.0 of Microsoft’s cross-platform Silverlight, now available for download. Headlining the release is hardware decoding of H.264 streams, improved postscript printing and a better graphics stack, replete with support for things in the third dimension. Rumors that Silverlight’s own luminance is fading still go unanswered, without confirmation or denial from Microsoft — but why let uncertainty get you down? Hit the source and turn that frown upside down.