Web analytics application guidelines (HTML5 or Silverlight)

I have been asked to implement a web analytics application that will display charts.

Performance is really important.

1. Either I am t开发者_如何学JAVAhinking of using HTML 5 or Silverlight. Any suggestions?
2. The main aim of the application is to include drill down charts (line, bar, pie) with animations. Which components would you recommend (for HTML5 or for Silverlight)?
3. Do you recommend any books for your preferred technology?

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As performance is important it might be better to do some measurement rather than rely on (albeit informed) opinion.

Take one of your metrics and implement the key features in HTML5 and Silverlight and compare the performance.

Use the technology that delivers the best times.

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Silverlight will be quicker to develop - as animation, data binding, and charts (via the Silverlight Toolkit) are part of the platform - and there are mature tools for designing and developing it (Expression Blend and Visual Studio). HTML5 will have broader reach once the standard is agreed upon. A combination of JQuery and SVG in HTML5 could get you the same level of graphics and interactivity that you get today with Silverlight. Any code that you write for today's HTML5 browsers will have to have some hacks to deal with the differences in implementations.

I recommend _Microsoft_Silverlight_Data_and_Services_Cookbook_ as a book for Silverlight.

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Silverlight is ideal for this. You can check out the free charting library Visifire : http://www.visifire.com/
To study I recommend the book Silverlight 4 Business Intelligence Software. It is made for what you want to do : http://apress.com/book/view/1430230606

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• I would recommend Silverlight, even more so if you have experience with .NET. At the moment (besides being more powerful/feature complete) it has way better tooling, a "uniform" implementation and (sigh) better market penetration (if that's important for you) than HTML5. The out-of-browser installation could be nice for your particular case too.

• If the Silverlight Toolkit chart is not enough, I recommend telerik's charting component. I have extensive experience with it and I only have good things to say. It's a high quality component, plus support is always very quick and helpful. It also comes with animations, styles, etc. out of the box. If the budget allows for it, I would even pick it directly in the first place so that you won't have to refactor anything later.

• As for books, Laurent Bugnion's Silverlight 4 Unleashed without any doubt!