Going Microsoft

We talk a lot about the ALT.NET community and how it's not anti-Microsoft but rather alternatives to it (and better software development in general). Rather than blabbering on about DataSets over Web Services we talk about objects and domains and cool things that go bump in the night. I wonder as I look at my RSS feeds in the last few months how much of the "alternative" crowd are making more common bedfellows in Redmond?

Look at the history here. John Lam, Scott Hanselman, Phil Haack, Don Box, and now Rob Conery (and there are probably dozens of others I missed, sorry). MVPs or community leaders from another world, all bringing their super-brains to Microsoft to fold into the collective. Hey, don't get me wrong. I think it's a good thing. A great thing. It just seems all the cool kids are being gobbled up by the Blue Monster and I have to ask. What are things shaping up to? At this rate of adoption what will Microsoft look like in 5 years?

Like I said, this isn't a bad thing by far. I just wonder if Roy, Oren, Scott B., Jeremy, David, and JP (to name a few) are aimed for aquisition? If there's a group working next to the software aquisition guys looking at people and playing "what-if" scenarios with humans. I'm sure Scott would turn over in his grave before that happened but hey, Microsoft isn't a bad place to work. It's actually a positive experience, a great environment, and recently it seems to have been grabbing some of the top talent there is on the street. So where does it go from here?

How "alternative" is it if ALT.NET becomes the norm at the place that spawned the original term? Should be an interesting year. Or two. Or three. Or ten.

3 Comments

  • But it never was about alternatives to Microsoft. It was (and is) about figuring out the best tool for the job. I imagine the community is very set to embrace the change vs2008 has and C# 3.0; I would be suprised if quite a few were not already using it (it is unquestioningly better then 2005).

  • Well it seems the ALT.NET movement is definitely gaining some traction, and usually when that happens several big names either get snatched up for very lucrative sums, or wind up building teams and gigs around their "brand" within the movement.

  • "How "alternative" is it if ALT.NET becomes the norm at the place that spawned the original term? "

    I thought that was the point?

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