Requisites

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
• Silverlight 1.1 Alpha November Refresh or Newer

Introduction

One of the best additions in Silverlight 2.0 is the implementation of the Common Language Runtime and then the Dynamic Language Runtime, both of which were missing in Silverlight 1.0. Let’s dig a bit deeper in this CLR and DLR thing.

Silverlight 2.0 CLR is a stripped down version of .NET Framework 3.5 featuring the same type system, JIT compiler, garbage collector and a shipload of the same .NET 3.5 namespaces. Silverlight CLR allows .NET code to execute in a sandboxed environment on the client-side. But here’s the problem: Full .NET Framework has the full implementation of System.CodeDom framework which allows .NET code compilation at runtime, but Silverlight CLR strips out 99% of System.CodeDom namespace for security and space concerns. Therefore, you can no longer compile .NET code through the CodeDom in Silverlight. This is when DLR comes to rescue!More...