OpenSilver 2.1 has been released with improvements including support for F#. The open-source alternative to Silverlight is capable of running large, complex legacy applications, as well as newly written C# and XAML applications.

OpenSilver was first released in 2021 at the same time as Microsoft dropped support for Silverlight. OpenSilver uses Mono for WebAssembly and Microsoft Blazor to enable developers to use C#, XAML, and .NET for client-side Web development.

The headline improvement to the updated version is the addition of support for F#. The OpenSilver team says:

"the integration of F# in OpenSilver 2.1 bridges the gap between functional programming and the development of rich, interactive web UIs. This combination allows developers to enjoy the benefits of both worlds: the expressive and concise syntax of F#, and the powerful, declarative nature of XAML for UI design."

Alongside the F# support, the OpenSilver team has migrated the the original "Silverlight Toolkit Samples" app by Microsoft with almost no changes to the code. OpenSilver users can try it in their browser without the need to install a plugin at OpenSilver Gallery.

Another improvement in version 2.1 is support for theming, with twelve themes available, ported from the Silverlight toolkit, and fully customizable. The Gallery page has been improved with 100 small F# samples. There's also an open-source sample CRM and a preview of a 3D and VR/AR web app created with OpenSilver (via XR#).

Elsewhere, the animation system has been improved, and new controls have been added. The animations have been fully reimplemented, and all the animations types supported by Silverlight are available. All the easing functions supported by Silverlight have been implemented, as have all the key frames supported by Silverlight (Discrete, Linear, Easing and Spline key frames).

OpenSilver 2.1 is available now. 

More Information

OpenSilver website

OpenSilver Gallery

Source code on GitHub

Related Articles

OpenSilver 2 Adds Support For VB.NET

OpenSilver 1.1 Released Offering 99% Silverlight Compatibility

Silverlight Lives On With OpenSilver

OpenSilver - Silverlight Reborn?

Silverlight is dead, long live Silverlight?

To be informed about new articles on I Programmer, sign up for our weekly newsletter, subscribe to the RSS feed and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin.

Comments

Make a Comment or View Existing Comments Using Disqus

or email your comment to: comments@i-programmer.info