Microsoft introduced Silverlight in 2007 as its alternative to Adobe’s Flash technology – a framework that managed graphics, multimedia, animation and interactivity – but the company is now favoring HTML 5 to do most of that, according to comments made at this week’s Microsoft Professional Developer Conference (PDC). Bob Muglia, who’s in charge of Microsoft’s server and tools business, told ZDNet that Silverlight remains Microsoft’s development platform for Windows Phone, but Microsoft’s strategy has shifted to emphasize HTML 5. It’s a move Apple surely appreciates, as the company has positioned HTML 5 as the open standard alternative to Adobe Flash.

Silverlight will continue to be a cross-platform solution, working on a variety of operating system/browser platforms, going forward, he said. “But HTML is the only true cross platform solution for everything, including (Apple’s) iOS platform,” Muglia said.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has emphasized HTML 5 – earlier this year, the general manager of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer team called the technology “the future of the Web.”

Microsoft: Our strategy with Silverlight has shifted [ZDNet]