Yes, VS 2010 is supoorting to write applications in SilverLight, So programmers will not have to depend on designers to do animation or image effects. You can create a RIA application using your VS 2010. Download the free beta and check yourself.
That is great news. I was first skeptical, but I'm surprised at how many people are learning Silverlight. YouTube announced that they are abandoning Flash (V10 is buggy), and they will deliver videos via either Silverlight or HTML 5.
1 GB is minimum requirement on PCs now a days, and RAM is not costlier anymore. So having 2 GB is a good idea.