- Repositioning .NET
- Sizing Up the .NET Initiatives
- Summary
Sizing Up the .NET Initiatives
Microsoft is focusing on the following components when describing the current state of the .NET initiative:
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Windows.NET. The next generation of the Windows desktop platform, Windows.NET supports productivity, creativity, management, and entertainment initiatives. Integrated with a core set of .NET building-block services, it provides integrated support for digital media and collaboration, and it can be personalized. It can also be programmed by .NET services, including MSN.NET, bCentral for .NET, and Office.NET.
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MSN.NET. By combining the content and services of MSN with the new .NET platform, MSN.NET will enable consumers to create a single digital personality and then leverage smart services to ensure consistent, seamless, and safe access to the information, entertainment, and people they care about at any time, at any place, and on any device. MSN.NET will build on a new integrated client, which is currently undergoing beta testing.
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Personal Subscription Services. In addition to MSN.NET, Microsoft will build a set of consumer-oriented services on the .NET platform that will build on existing Microsoft entertainment, gaming, education, and productivity products. These services will give people the power of traditional desktop applications with the flexibility, integration, and roaming support of the new .NET family of user experiences.
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Office.NET. This area involves advanced communications and productivity tools, which includes universal canvas technology that combines communication, browsing, and document authoring into a single environment. Users can thus synthesize and interact with information in a unified way. Universal collaboration services will enable anyone to collaborate with people inside and outside of their companies. A new architecture based on smart clients and services will provide rich functionality, performance, and automatic deployments on any device. Microsoft will also continue to offer and support versions of Office without .NET services.
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Visual Studio.NET. This XML-based programming model and tools is fully supported by MSDN and Windows DNA 2000 servers. It enables the easy delivery of highly distributed, programmable services that run across standalone machines in corporate data centers and across the Internet.
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bCentral for .NET. This cutting-edge range of subscription-based services and tools is targeted at small and growing businesses. It includes hosted messaging and email, enhanced commerce services, and a new customer relationship management (CRM) service built on the .NET platform. The enhanced commerce and customer-management services will enable small businesses to better serve their customers online. Functionality will include support for rich hosted catalogs and the capability to track interactions with customers to enable personalized service.