Why Is .NET Important ?
Microsoft's .NET initiative pervades all aspects of computing. From your operating system and Web browser, to the servers that run the Internet, down to handheld devices, phones, and radios—.NET has a story. Microsoft's ambition is to change the way we develop, access, and interact with Internet applications. Given this, it's easy to see that .NET is important to anyone who accesses information electronically.
Because .NET is so far-reaching, its importance is defined differently for different audiences. This section explores each audience and outlines .NET's importance to each group.
Microsoft wants to sell more software. It wants to be on the servers that run Internet applications all the way down to your VCR (UltimateTV). To realize its goal, Microsoft has assembled some of the brightest minds and poured untold billions into research, all culminating in a bet-the-company strategy—.NET.
.NET facilitates Internet services. Of course, an Internet service is software and the world's largest software company will do more than simply facilitate their creation.
Microsoft intends to aggressively participate in the creation, hosting, managing, and providing of Internet services to businesses and consumers.
One need only try Microsoft's Passport technology, or peruse bCentral or MSN to get a glimpse of how the company is focusing on becoming the Internet's software services provider. After all, who better to leverage Microsoft's products than Microsoft?