| It seems like you're missing the point of why most .NET developers are using .NET. They don't use it because they want to be part of the FOSS wild-west hack-fest (aka "the Bazaar"). They use it because they want "the Cathedral", where things are well-integrated and work as expected. Your list appears to be biased towards people who only want the Bazaar. Also, I think it's crucial to acknowledge that "the Web" is just an extension of the Bazaar. So, here's how I see it: 1) The .NET framework already comes with thousands of free high-quality components, libraries, packages, etc for every type of platform - web, desktop, mobile, services, data, etc. The majority of .NET programmers don't need to travel outside of that for basic needs. Furthermore, I doubt that you'll find FOSS native components that can rival what's available for .NET from companies such as DevExpress or Telerik. 2) The majority who choose .NET don't make that choice because they want to work with the latest whiz-bang NoSQL database or recently invented API. They typically want to build business applications that will be stable and integrate well into the rest of the enterprise. What seems like "late to the party" for you is just prudent, conservative decision making for a .NET dev. 3) Do you think the majority of FOSS shops are working on the bleeding edge? I don't know, but most of the *nix shops that I've seen use old Java frameworks, or they only run RHEL/Centos or are still using PHP and MySQL for everything. Rarely are they doing anything interesting or new. 4) "The .NET library itself is kinda unwieldy..." I don't get this at all. What kind of first class experience are you going to get with any FOSS environment unless you've already invested significant time learning vim or emacs? At least with .NET you have the option of getting a first-class experience without investing any time learning one of those. 5) You didn't list any specifics. What's harder to deploy? Also, what do you need information on that you could not find in Microsoft's vast array of documentation or elsewhere on the web? |