Windows 7 - Microsoft: Silverlight installed more than Browsers

Microsoft’s Silverlight product is most directly a competitor of Adobe Flash. But that’s not who they’re calling out in some data they sent our way today. Instead, the company (or at least their PR firm) is noting that with 300 million installs of Silverlight 2, the platform is installed on more machines around the world than the web browsers Firefox, Safari and Chrome — combined.

Microsoft Says Silverlight Installed More Than Firefox, Safari and Chrome — Combined

thats very explainable...

The comments do raise a few interesting questions, Just a note: Silverlight is not forcibly installed on your system via Windows Update and does not get counted when presented as an optional update

ja, i understand... but i think you see where i'm coming from. MS has the leg up always in most categories... even if the opponent gets a head start. Take for example the consoles... it used to be nintendo sega sony. That playing field all but changed once sega dropped out and MS seen another opportunity to grab a slice of pie. With the brand name already established, it wasnt a very difficult leap for them, nor is that the case in most endeavors they take. Even tho the 360 has had major problems, ppl had the crave to go get one.

Unless you specifically need or have the use for adobe, which usually for most average users boils down to reading pdf files online. Now there are alternatives for that, smaller in size, etc. You cant also deny the fact of how MS steers ppl their way, take for example the Home Page, and links to download other MS products. Also there are alot of web designers testing and implementing SL since its new, imo. I cant speak inteligently enough on the internals of them both, but like i stated, i think this article is well explainable. If not for a particular website that displays documents in pdf, a person like my father wouldnt use adobe at all. And wouldnt think twice about installing it.

Not to mention that when you download other, non-Silverlight-related, software it often asks "Do you want to try Silverlight" and people are like "what the hell, why not?"

So it's not like Firefox where most people are going "Let me go download Firefox..."

Power of suggestion.