Top 13 reasons to consider Microsoft for Web 2.0 development

I'm building a Web 2.0 product/company on C# and .NET. Ok, I'm biased since I'm an ex-MSFT, but still, .NET with C# is very strong for web-servers. Plus, MSFT, contrary to other companies, really value developers. Remember Ballmer: "Developers, Developers, Developers".

Thanks Robert!

Check your spam folder as I did send you an email about the post. Thank you for instigating the whole process by getting me out to Mix 06 after we met at Northern Voice.

Reg

I don't really see how "Microsoft has these things, too!" are reasons to consider the platform. You need to show me what the Microsoft platform does better if you want me switching.

LAMP has free developer tools, free databases, Atlas was partially based off the open source Prototype and Scriptaculous libraries, it can scale, etc. Other than the names in #7 and #8, there's nothing unique to the MS platform on that list.

If Microsoft can't come up with genuine advantages over other platforms, they're not going to see much movement.

I keep forgetting to mention that every time I come to your page, I have to click through a security warning. It is from the piece of code that brings up the amazon.com image of your book. (My browser also blocks a wordpress.com cookie, but that is done silently, except for the little do-not-enter sign in my browser status row.)

[The warning is that this page, which is not a trusted site of mine [:-( is accessing a site that I made trusted back during one of the frights about IE being vulnerable to scripting hacks. I guess I can make amazon.com no longer trusted and the message might go away ... Good idea, Dennis]

Meanwhile, I love that list and the comments on it. I like all of the points, but I do concede that #8 holds a lot of sway for me too. Go figure.

I disagree with EVERY single point on the list. Some are just blatently false, others are no big deal as the free dev tools etc. have been available to us, other side of the fence devs forever.
I could go on, but I am tired.
I mean you guys get paid to generate propaganda while we have to do it on our time, time which could be well spent elsewhere.

Thanks Robert for giving us both sides of the story. I feel that this is really a discussion about the nature of development, as someone that likes to play with graphics it really demonstrates how certain tools will gravitate for the task. No one company will ever hit it the head of the nail for every person. That being said, I think that the more tools that are out there just benefits the user. In your examples we see one developer that looks at the MS toolbox and thinks about what he can build, in the other we see a developer that thinks about what choices he will have to make later if he uses that toolbox. I think both developers are on the ball for what works for their style. Some will jump on the MS bandwagon and others will make their own path. As long as all of us have choices and companies have to compete, we will all win.

This list, can be aplainig to every corporation!