On Feb. 1, Windows Azure transitioned from a beta into a commercial product, radically altering how Microsoft developers create and deploy software. With that change as the backdrop, SD Times interviewed Tim O’Brien, director of Microsoft’s Platform Strategy Group, to discuss its vision of the future. That conversation was focused on the cloud, Silverlight and developing with .NET.

SD Times: What is the strategy for Silverlight?

Tim O’Brien: Our strategy of