Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Wed 20th Feb 2002 18:45 UTC
A lot of people have trouble understanding what .NET really is and what its goals are. Mostly because Microsoft has done a good job of confusing everybody using terms that are not self-explanatory or with terms that mean more that one thing. This editorial will present my thoughts on .NET, what it really is, what its motivations and goals are, and why it is the next "big thing." Should we embrace it or fear it? Both, I daresay.
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I've read all 38 comments posted so far on this article, some seem reasonable, some are just reactions in frustration. When I first read this article, it didn't strike me as pro-Microsoft. Re-reading it, I see how one might spot the sentiment, but don't think Eugenia intended it to be that way. Either way, my opinion is solidifying - the more I dislike Microsoft, the more I appreciate them. Yes, I hate Passport. I hate product activation. I hate IIS security. But I love Windows 2000/XP and I love the GUI everything and I love Internet Explorer.
Microsoft KNOWS that we're all fed up with upgrading. They know that every company worth a damn has investigated Linux, Solaris, or if they're really smart - the BSDs. They know that Windows is at the END of its lifecycle because they've done all they can do with it. So you have to hand it to them, as the industry leader, they are pioneering new standards and guidelines (and while they're at it, they're writing a nice portable programming language, new APIs, moving to XML-based solutions, etc) not only to bring computing to the next level capability-wise, but to segue into new business areas and, incidentally, force another enterprise-wide upgrade. Geniuses, they are.
The thing is, those who think .NET is a bad thing are probably letting their anti-Microsoft spirit sink in. Trust me - I'm sold on the Be/Bootloader controversy, I have reason to want to leave Microsoft behind, but I don't see it happening for about 7 years while Linux and FreeBSD are still so far behind on the desktop. Sure, I run lots of OSes at home, but can you guess what's on my primary PC? Give you a hint - it has a registry and rhymes with Bindows.
I certainly hate to stand on a soapbox and preach, but I fail to see why .NET is causing all of this panic. The more I read, the more it appears that the "M$ crowd," or those who despise Microsoft, would sooner see personal computing be less productive than see it be advanced by Microsoft.
You take down your enemies with honor and respect if you want honor and respect yourself. Those who bitch and moan about .NET and how it is the end of the world should spend less time being generally cranky and more time developing apps for open-source Microsoft competitors. Then, maybe, there would be a legitimate competitor on the desktop.