If you haven't heard, check out the new Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR). Awesome. It's been a long time since I've been excited by a technology.

I thought it was about time Microsoft brought something like Silverlight out. There have been numerous Microsoft projects trying to introduce new UI technologies that never got released. With Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight, Microsoft has firmly put up a neon sign showing how to construct the next generation of rich user interfaces. It solves the Rich Internet App (RIA) puzzle. 

But the DLR vastly improves this proposition. RIAs, installed on demand, built with your favourite dynamic (or static) langauge and that run fast! Yes! It's what I've been waiting for. Well, I hope the reality checks out when I start diving into the details.

This will relegate ASP.NET and AJAX to pure breadth applications. I've always felt AJAX was a kludge. Libraries built on JavaScript just doesn't feel right. To me, AJAX is an indictment of stifled browser development.

Now what about Adobe Flash?

This will be interesting. Flash is way, way, way ahead. It won't die or disappear. The tool and community support is phenomenal.  Flash will always have greater runtime breadth and a great choice for media delivery. But Silverlight + DLR will put a big dent in the Flash + Flex for business RIAs proposition. It wouldn't surprise me if Flex dies in a few years.