Editorial in the latest CRN (August 5, 2002), titled ".NET: Fact or Fiction?" by Barbara Darrow has the following:

"...Look at Microsoft's .Net worldview. Few would argue that this two-year-old Web services game plan is anywhere near to real execution."

"Microsoft's problem is that while many pundits were skeptical about the actuality of .Net claims as early as last year, regular folks are also starting to realize that the company hasn't got a lot to show for .Net yet."

"After months of denying the existence of (reseller) conflicts, the company issued mea culpas earlier this summer and pledged to right past wrongs."

Analysis: Hmmmmm. Resellers are treated like red-headed step children. Resellers are skeptical about .Net. Sound familiar?


In the latest edition of Application Development Trends (August 2002) edition is an editorial of a different sort. Written by Gary Barnett, it's titled "Psst: .NET's far ahead of rivals". Some tidbits include:

"Microsoft's .NET technology is at least six months ahead of its rivals. It's more complete, more ready and more widely deployed than its competitors."

"The .NET platform is ahead in tooling, middleware services, integration services and process management servers."

"Suppliers claiming to be ahead of .NET are either deceiving you or deceiving themselves."

"The challenge faced by builders of alternative technologies is to face up to cold, hard reality -- stop bleating about Microsoft and get on with the job of delivering technology."

Analysis: This is a "big iron" type of magazine. For large companies, .NET can play in that space and has won converts, as noted. Still, MSFT sells .NET as both a floor wax and a dessert topping (the solution for everything) and it's that, well, (pick your adjective) attitude that has turned a lot of people away.

Application Development Trends has a couple of other interesting articles in the same edition. Check out "Early .NET returns: So far, so good" at http://www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=6530 and "What's behind BEA's Big Bet on Tools?" at http://www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=6559. Tod Neilsen and Adam Bosworth are interviewed and a photo of Tod is in the print edition. Tod was involved with FoxPro years ago at MSFT. Note: This is a long, long article about BEA and some ex MSFTies.

In this article is the following: "Crossgain CEO Nielsen was certainly a star in the Microsoft developer business, having cut his teeth on VB and Access projects and then launching MSDN, the online developer network that brought to light the idea of a Web-based developer community."

"Nielsen does think some things should be done differently than at Microsoft. "We learned a lot with Access and VB. One of the big mistakes was that if you were an Access programmer and you hit a wall, and you then handed over the job to a C++ programmer, that person had to throw out what you did." There needs to be a "ramp" between different levels of programmers, he explained."

Analysis: Hey Tod? Remember FoxPro? Can you at least spell it for me???

Bill Anderson