Silverlight 3 Relase Download Links and Installation Instructions

Silverlight 3 has been released here are some of the released links:

Silverlight 3 Runtime
http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/resources/install.aspx
Blend 3 with Sketchflow
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=92e1db7a-5d36-449b-8c6b-d25f078f3609
SDK
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=2050e580-f1d5-4040-bb09-e6185591b6b5
VS 2008 Tools
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=9442b0f2-7465-417a-88f3-5e7b5409e9dd
.NET RIA Services (July 2009)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=76bb3a07-3846-4564-b0c3-27972bcaabce
Silverlight Control Toolkit (July 2009)
http://silverlight.codeplex.com/
Change list of the Silverlight Control Toolkit: http://silverlight.codeplex.com/Wiki/View.aspx?title=Silverlight%20Toolkit%20July%202009%20change%20list
DeepZoom Composer
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=457b17b7-52bf-4bda-87a3-fa8a4673f8bf
Seven Additional Navigation Themes
http://timheuer.com/blog/archive/2009/07/09/free-silverlight-application-themes-silverlight-3.aspx

Still waiting on these:

• Bing Enterprise Map Control for Silverlight (currently in CTP)
• ADO.NET Data Services (currently 1.5 CTP)
• Prism Update (saw some blog post MVVM templates they were adding to the framework)
• Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1/2 tools for Silverlight 3 RTW
• Other (Silverlight Mobile maybe (?), XBOX Developer Add-Ons etc.)

Installation notes for developers:

• You need to uninstall EVERYTHING Silverlight developer related to get it to work: Silverligh 3 SDK, Visual Studio 2008 Tools, Blend 3 Beta. Otherwise you will get a message saying your developer tools are out of date.
• Silverlight Control Toolkit March 2009 will not work with Silverlight 3 RTM
• Expression Blend 3 is NOT RTM it is apparently RC (Update: the version out now is RC, which will work with Silverlight 3 RTM. Expression Studio 3 RTM is shipping within the next 30 days.)
• When you upgrade your projects from Silverlight 2/3 Beta to Silverlight 3 RTM make sure you have the correct assemblies referenced! Note some controls have moved from the SDK to the Control Toolkit and vice versa.

Installation Order (if you have Visual Studio 2008 SP1)

1. VS 2008 Silverlight Tools (installs the runtime, SDK as well)
2. Expression Blend 3 Trial
3. .NET RIA Services
4. Silverlight Control Toolkit

Installation notes for casual users:

• Your users will automatically be upgraded to Silverlight 3 (if they have the auto update selected, which is the default).They can always upgrade manually.
• If you are developing a product on Silverlight 2, you should turn off automatic updates of the runtime...just in case.

Silverlight architecture

There is a particular value in the combined set of tools, technologies, and services included in the Silverlight platform: They make it easier for developers to create rich, interactive, and networked applications. Although it is certainly possible to build such applications using today's Web tools and technologies, developers are hindered by many technical difficulties, including incompatible platforms, disparate file formats and protocols, and various Web browsers that render pages and handle scripts differently. A rich Web application that runs perfectly on one system and browser may work very differently on another system or browser, or may fail altogether. Using today's large array of tools, protocols, and technologies, it is a massive and often cost-prohibitive effort to build an application that can simultaneously provide the following advantages:

• Ability to create the same user experience across browsers and platforms, so that the application looks and performs the same everywhere.

• Integration of data and services from multiple networked locations into one application using familiar .NET Framework classes and functionality.

• A media-rich, compelling, and accessible user interface (UI).

• Silverlight makes it easier for developers to build such applications, because it overcomes many of the incompatibilities of current technologies, and provides within one platform the tools to create rich, cross-platform, integrated applications.