On branding and other issues
Last week, Microsoft changed the name of its next operation system, from Windows .NET Server 2003 to Windows Server 2003, removing .NET from the brand. I think this is a wise choice, to me .NET is more about programming models than operating systems.
It has been my position all since the launch of the ".NET Enterprise Servers" in the fall of 2000 that the marketing people at Microsoft has been overusing the .NET name and putting it on products having little or nothing to do with the core of .NET; the .NET Framework and Visual Studio .NET.
Sidebar: At the .NET Enterprise Server launch in November 2000 we demoed a complex scenario involving 4 servers (we used laptops), a Pocket PC, TAPI telephone integration, and a bunch of server products. Doing demos with .NET is a lot easier.
Imagine my surprise when I came to a client today they told me that Microsoft had dropped the .NET brand. I told them there had to be some misunderstanding. They came back showing me an article from IT-avisen with the title “The .Net name disappears” [translated by me]. It goes on "Microsoft has decided not to use .Net in upcoming product names to avoid confusion among users". No matter what they do, some people get confused…
12:43:36 AM 
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