“Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates
ushered in a sweeping new set of programming software, middleware,
and Internet services Thursday under the umbrella name
Microsoft.NET. “You could say it is a bet-the-company thing,” Gates
said. “We’re putting our resources behind .NET.”
“Although his talk Thursday to more than 500 media and analysts
was similarly theoretical and forward-looking, it is a major step
for the company in outlining a plan to leverage its Internet
strategy to gain customers and appease shareholders. The platform
will extend across various Microsoft services and client and server
products, Gates said.”
“Key elements of the platform are forthcoming — or already
designed around the belief that XML is core in such products as SQL
2000, Exchange 2000, and BizTalk 2000. Microsoft (stock: MSFT) will
release Windows.NET version 1 next year, Gates said, and follow it
in two years with another major release and updated versions of
Office and Visual Studio.”