Open source does not beget more open source in .NET, because the barriers to standing on each other shoulders are so high.
These are not unsolvable problems, but as far as I can tell, no one in the community has both resources and incentive to solve them.
Imagine for a moment that Microsoft hadn't forced us all to use .NET and instead VB 7 had been just an evolutionary upgrade. Presumably we would have settled on VB 7 for the "easy" applications and C++ for the more "demanding" applications. We would probably have seen the same sorts of Windows APIs developed, although without the wasted effort building managed wrappers to pretend that .NET was a first class citizen. Who knows perhaps C++ would have gained a better UI frame work possibly based on a markup language all the sooner.
I ask you - what has the excursion into managed code brought the Microsoft programmer and indeed what good has it done for Microsoft?
Is this the new “tech divide?” Those who are passionate about tech are going to get Macs and everyone else is gonna get a PC because their boss probably bought one for them assuming that if you only do email, Excel, and Powerpoint that there’s no need for you to have a Mac?
Today’s announcement by USDA is somewhat of a landmark in the world of open government, as they will become the first cabinet-level agency to embrace and deploy cloud computing technology for e-mail and collaboration. Cloud computing, along with “open data,” social media, and mobile technology, is one of the areas of rapid change that governments are racing to take advantage of under a mandate of transparency, collaboration, and participation.
Microsoft has tried to adapt, but hasn’t really changed. Perhaps that’s why Ozzie thought it was time for him to make his exit.
