NFN reports on Microsoft's plan for .Net implementation on the Macintosh platform, which is expected to be announced later this week. Because the five-year-old Apple-Microsoft partnership expires this summer, both companies want to re-affirm the commitment that they are "staying together."
Comments
We can't escape the dark forces, they're taking us over.
There's no denying it: no matter how much you may personally loathe MS (and I do), the Mac Business Unit has treated its customers like GOLD, and this fact has actually won over more than a handful of PC converts. So I have tremendous faith that the MacBU of Microsoft (who are to the main company as Taiwan is to China) will do right by us.
At the same time, dot-Net's aims are just plain scary. Microsoft want nothing less than to turn your home computer into a dumb terminal, and your software into a monthly billed "service" like cable TV. On the PC side, I've no doubt that they can get away with it, too. I can see LOADS of benefits to dot-Net -- for Microsoft and for programmers. I have yet to have ANYONE from MS or anywhere else come up with a good benefit to CONSUMERS. But then, when have MS ever had consumers' interests at heart?
As long as the Mac version of dot-Net allows us to opt-out, I guess I'll just have to have faith in the MacBU. Don't let me down, guys.
Like others have said, MS is for sure a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Mac users, but the MS Mac BU HAS done right by us and for the Mac to survive in corporate America ( or wherever) we need MS to support us.
Get over it and accept it. the gov't won't touch them, so let's just say we need MS support and move on.
By the Borg of Micro$oft.
This is great news!!!! Now, even being Mac users, we can have that "1 degree of separation"! We'll be able to change our minds about whether we want a red car, or a white car, and even change it again! Or, if you smash a case of wine, you can change the price of the other case to compensate. You can't do that kind of stuff today!!!
Now if I can only figure out what the h*** .Net is, why I need it, why I need to program for it, why my apps (both the ones I write and the ones I use) should use it, and how/why the world is a better place with it.
For once I'd like MS to actually add useful products to the Mac, instead of only monopoly-leveraging ones. How about parity in features with Windows Media Player? Real 100% cross-platform DHTML compatibility in Internet Explorer 6? How about a version of MS Access for the Mac?
MS doesn't build products Mac users need. MS builds products MS needs in order to make it look like they're a warm fuzzy predatory monopoly.
the mac bu working on this. personally, i think those guys have earned the respect of the mac users, atleast most i know
Don't want it, don't need it, won't use it!
It's not a machine compiled framework. It's compiled into a special thingy like Java is. Then when first run on a host, it's compiled into Machine code. This could make it almost as portable but much faster than java. If MS makes DirectX for .NET, we might even get PC games at the same time as PC users instead of 18 months later. (But thats a stretch)
OR
Network Headlines
Most Popular
MacNN Sponsor
Recent Reviews
iHome iW2 AirPlay speaker
iHome generally isn't known as a luxury brand when it comes to audio, but it is prolific -- the company's docks and speakers are every ...
Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover
One of the iPad's main weaknesses has always been productivity. It's not a question of apps; while it has taken a little time for a na ...
Logitech UE Air Speaker
If maybe a little more slowly than Apple would like, AirPlay is becoming a staple of the wireless speaker market for iOS devices. The ...
Most Commented
Popular News
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2001
Mommy!
First rumors of MSN, then MSN Explorer. Now they're going to throw .Net on us!? Mommy tell them to leave me alone! They won't go away!