Once you get off the Windows server platform, many contend that Java is the dominant development tool. It seems that Microsoft really wants a piece of the action on the non-Microsoft servers. And who can blame them. They started off with a basic Me-Too implementation of a Java clone, using the Dot Net universal CLR.
True to form, they put most of their effort into Dot Net enabling it to integrate with the proprietary Windows environment (Remember when they said they couldn’t take IE out of Windows). Sure, there are some third party efforts to make Dot Net work in Linix, using the mono engine. Still, there is little support from the team defining the CLR specifications, and the teams for the Microsoft implementation are were in comparison.
Now the goal is to make Dot Net the language of choice anywhere. The CORE instance of Dot Net demonstrates that initiative. Instead of being Microsoft first for implementation of change, the changes are CORE first. That doesn’t mean you can use Dot Net everywhere, because CORE doesn’t cover all aspects of the Dot Net Framework.
This implementation strategy has been out there for some time now. Has it made any impact on the Non-Microsoft servers. Are people using Dot Net in places where they would have chosen Java before? What are you seeing? Are you considering a project to get your toes in the water? Leave a response in our comments, or drop an email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben