>Denis,
>
>>By the way MS is'nt providing a nice window for anybody. They just found another way to generate mega-bucks because the old tools did'nt generate as much $$$$ anymore. That is marketing. When the customers are in their comfort zone and they don't generate much money because the level of penetration of the old tools are close to saturation you launch something else and convince them that they have to get it if they still want to be in the "in-crowd"<
>
>I don't really view it that way at all. I've been to enough developer events and listened to the technical folks. I think that .Net was developed to solve some real technical issues, such as Dll Hell.
>
>From a marketing standpoint, I think you have the argument a little backasswards. I think that MS gets the majority of thier income from Windows and Office. How can you view .Net as a hugh revenue generating tool when MS is offering such things as the developer plan where you get an MSDN subscription for $400/yr for up to 5 developers. I know in my own experience I was able to setup a C# development environment for free. Download the .Net SDK and an open source IDE.

Hi Perry,

While I'd accept that .NET includes benefits for developers as regards technical issues (like DLL HELL), that to me surely has to be a simple by-product of deciding to develop the beast called .NET. They would have been unbelievably stupid, with a capital 'S', if they didn't address burning technical issues while 'building the new home'.

I am POSITITVE (with all capitals!) that MS intends .NET to be a HUGE HUGE HUGE revenue-generating platform for themselves!!! They certainly are not doing it all to placate their developer population (most of whom will happily follow whatever MS tells them to do unquestioningly).
My bet is that MS intends to become that "cloud" that they first spoke of when the announced .NET, with MS being the repository of everyone's data and users paying handsomely for the privilege, as well of course as guarding the data and charging for that too. And, of course, no more software sales but rather contracted download/use along the style of a lease.

Someone recently wrote that MS would happily GIVE AWAY their developer tools if they were allowed to, and I think the article was bang-on!
Don't forget the pressure regarding Linux that is growing from major MS competitors. Don't forget that there are still far too many Win98 and Office97 systems out there to MS' dismay. Don't forget that every MS developer tools users becomes an unpaid, and often rabid too, marketing person for MS. Don't forget that MS' long range vision is that computers are "appliances" so they NEED to develop alternative revenue paths (no one happily upgrades their fridge or their stove or their TV or their electric drill or their car or their.... just because the manufacturer has a newer model available).

For what it costs MS to 'package' the tools that they have to develop anyway FOR THEMSELVES they get far more value than the cost and free would still see them coming out way ahead!

Jim