There have been two recent articles on .Net – a 2-part series with reader feedback in WSJ and one in News.com. Writes Charles Cooper in News.com on how Microsoft has fumbled with .Net:
The underlying idea of .Net My Services was compelling enough: It was supposed to let people access personal information online on any device. They would then be able shop or bank or check their e-mail online. The only problem was Microsoft couldn’t figure out where it wanted to go and the project got sidetracked because of internal debates about the proper business model and a lack of industry support.
Elsewhere, the .Net-spawned concept of software as a service still isn’t ready for prime time. It works just fine with Windows Update, but that’s a far cry from the usefulness that would get Corporate America to pay for automatic updating across various devices.
Microsoft puts out great videos, but the reality is that .Net remains largely a repackaging of existing technology, accompanied by a collection of jargon-ridden press releases.
He cautions: “Breathing life into grandiose visions is no easy feat. Hewlett-Packard’s former CEO Lew Platt couldn’t do it. When he began plugging the company’s E-speak technology in 1999, Platt was trying to explain what was the first comprehensive vision of Web services. But it fell on deaf ears–in no small part because of HP’s own bumbling–and in the end, the company shelved the project. ”
Lee Gomes asks in WSJ if .Net is imitation or innovation.
