The rumor mill has been rampant for many months now that Windows 8 and IE 10 mean the death of WPF and Silverlight. This has been brought on by the recent focus on HTML5 and CSS 3, but I’ve never bought into this rhetoric. Recognizing the importance of an emerging technology does not automatically mean the death of another. There are too many factors that need to play out before we can bury two technologies that have barely had the chance to shine.

“The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” – Silverlight

The big question mark has been Windows 8. Of course IE 10 will support Silverlight, but if WPF is put aside and HTML5 given the spotlight in the operating system… well, it will most certainly change the way we write rich applications. For better or for worse, this video does spotlight HTML5.

The user experience is remarkable, and the native support for HTML5 is slick. However, I did notice that native and managed apps still run and integrate nicely into the Start menu. Where does this leave us? A hybrid system with the current spotlight on its HTML5 support.

I believe this will engender innovation with web-enabled applications. However, although HTML5 is nice, it is not proven for robust client applications. Therefore, I believe that WPF and Silverlight will be updated to more easily create these touch-enabled, modern user interfaces. Then the battle will be on, but the smart money is to choose the technology that best fits your requirements. My opinion is that web apps go to HTML5 and client apps primarily go to Silverlight. I base this on my experience with the Windows Phone: Silverlight apps look better and integrate better than HTML5 apps.

What the future holds is currently up in the air, which makes people nervous when making business decisions for projects that last for years. Most of these questions will be answered at the BUILD conference. Until then, the Windows 8 team as started a blog to share with everyone the development of the OS. You can get the inside scoop and give them feedback on the upcoming changes.

I drew my opinions independently, but my colleagues at Telerik are in general agreement. Todd Anglin gives the history and explains that this is not a radical change in Understanding the Microsoft Shift on Silverlight and HTML5. Stephen Forte gives insight into the Jupiter platform and what it means for the future of Silverlight in Silverlight is Dead, Long Live XAML. Finally, Vassil Terziev explains that our strategy at Telerik has not shifted, we’re just providing the best tools for you to do your job in Our Strategy Has NOT Shifted – Telerik, HTML5, and Silverlight.