For your hist[o|e]rical information, here are some interesting release dates that can help you catch those "embellished" resumes.  As of January 2004, anyone who claims to have four or more years experience with .NET had better have a matching "Microsoft" entry on their resume.  If not, they either must have worked for one of the MS Elite level partners or should utter the magic acronyms “NGWS“ and “ASP+“!  Likewise, any non Microsoftie who claims 11 or more years experience using Visual Studio should be regarded with suspicion!

NOTE: Please feel free to comment with corrections for any mistakes or significant omissions!

  Microsoft .NET Release dates:
    NGWS, ASP+: May 2000
    Microsoft announces .NET: June 22, 2000
    Beta 1: November 20, 2000
    Beta 2: June 18, 2001
    Version 1.0: January 16, 2002
    Version 1.1: April 9, 2003

  Microsoft ATL:
    ATL 1.0: July 1996 (Visual C++ 4.2a)
    ATL 2.0: October 1996 (Visual C++ 5.0)

  COM+:
    Released with Windows 2000
    February 17, 2000 (Beta
    version may have existed somewhat
    before this date)

  DCOM:
    Released with Windows NT 4.0
    Called "Network OLE" at that time
    August 1996
   
  COM:
    September 1997
    Previously called "OLE 2"

  ActiveX:
    1996

  OLE 2:
    1993

  OLE:
    1992
    Introduced with Windows 3.1

  ODBC:
    1992

  Visual C++ 1.0:
    April 1993

  Visual Basic 1.0:
    Summer 1991

  SQL Server:
    Some time in 1991

  C++:
    C++ was written by  Bjarne Sroustrup 
    at Bell Labs during 1983-1985. ....
    The term C++ was first used in 1983.

  C:
    C came into being in the years 1969-1973