10/27/09–Developers can build Web mapping applications by accessing ArcGIS Online maps and tasks through the free ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs. There are APIs for JavaScript, Silverlight, and Flex (as well as Web application developer frameworks for .NET and Java), all with similar functionality. Given this, how do you decide which API to use?

In a post on the ArcGIS Server Blog, Sterling Quinn of the ArcGIS Server development team addresses this common question: Which ESRI Web Mapping API Should I Use?