Windows 8 is herding general consumers into controlled software pastures. Why? Win8 Metro apps can only be installed through Microsoft's app store -- except in the case of high-end versions of Win8 (pro, enterprise), and then only through a very complex (for the average user) series of steps to "side-load" those Metro apps.

The Metro UI has received nice graphics and animation, while the desktop has been relegated to a second class citizen losing Aero glass and the general appeal found in regular windows as in Win7.

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.NET is a software development platform which runs on a closed source virtual machine, one which Microsoft is integrating very tightly with the highly scalable Azure cloud computing platform designed to run your software in Microsoft's datacenters (on their servers). In such a case, you will never know if the virtual machine they're running is the same as the virtual machine you were testing it on. For example, has it been modified to conduct additional monitoring of your business transactions? You'll never know unless someone leaks the proof. But because it's a close ecosystem, because it's on their hardware, because you have no control other than API function calls which return results about whatever it is you query ... you'll never know.

I can make Windows return that its OS version is actually Linux 3.x. That doesn't mean it's Linux, but only that the OS reports itself as being Linux.

The same thing is possible with .NET platforms. As long as they run your software the way you expect ... you're getting what you paid for. Never mind the fact that under the hood it could be (and is/will be) doing all manner of monitoring of your software, your users, your business transactions, your developer abilities, everything that can be garnered will be garnered. If not today, then tomorrow.

It is what we are facing in all closed-source systems.
Our ONLY defense is FLOSS ([F]ree as in freedom/liberty, [L]ibre, [O]pen [S]ource [S]oftware).

Please ... consider what you're doing long term. Look at the alternatives. Invest time in finding FLOSS solutions. You gain from other developers contributing to those platforms, while you, yourself, can augment them to suit your personal needs, or the needs of your company as well.

I urge everyone to think about what is happening long-term with Microsoft, Google, Apple, and every platform that is pushing closed-source, or cloud-solutions which run on remote servers outside of your personal control. It is our literal software freedom that is at stake, and it's more powerfully political than other forms because it seems so benign on the outside (when you run a closed, controlled system monitoring everything you do, and yet you can still do all those things you want ... "what have I really lost?" would be an easy question to ask. That is what the people pushing these agendas are hoping you'll do. Don't. Freedom really is more important than convenience.)