I'm an open-minded person. Over the last 8 years, I have looked into a bunch of different web technologies, such as Perl, Python, PHP and Java - heck, even ColdFusion. After a long, unhappy relationship with PHP I've settled with Perl and Python.

While the .net framework and C# in particular are considered a rather good product (for something coming out of Redmond, that is), the ASP.net part is conceived with mixed feelings in the community. This seems to be mainly for technical reasons: While some of them concern the tight integration of Visual Studio to the development process "making hard things easy but easy things impossible", others do not like the fact that while ASP.net provides you with an extremely complex framework, it doesn't make it obvious to write maintainable code - it seems, for instance, unclear if MVC design patterns are (practically) applicable to ASP.net.

Leaving the technical discussion to those who understand more about ASP.net than me, I'll add this to the list of ASP.net unhappyness: Why-oh-why is it impossible for a non-Windows person to learn about ASP.net? MSDN has a huge collection of well-made video tutorials that will - no doubt - give you a good insight into the development process. Apart from that, its just a cool thing...

However, it's simply impossible to watch these videos unless you have Windows XP SP2 with Windows Media Player 11 installed. Full stop - take a break. When you try to reach developers used to PHP, Perl etc., shouldn't you make your learning resources available to your intended audience? It seems Microsoft only wants to talk to confident I-buy-every-MS-shit-out-there fanatics that are on the ASP track since so long or complete dummies in web development that have never ever seen something else than Windows.

To be precise: I've got almost anything here: Linux, W2K and Mac OS X. I installed the newest Microsoft Windows Media Player on the latter two (version 9), but those damn videos require newer versions - an unfortunate situation, given the fact that Microsoft will not continue support for Windows Media Player under W2K and OS X.

Don't get me wrong - it's their choice to make the videos only available to those already developing with Windows. But it fits just perfectly into the typical Microsoft picture of a closed community, where you have no choice in the tools you use, where you are bounded to a specific platform and server software for deployment, and where you have to pay for each piece of crappy code extra.

One in four webservers runs MS IIS, 2 of three run Apache. Like with the training video codec situation, Microsoft cripples their own products for 'political' reasons. Besides, what's be so bad about running ASP.net on Apache? Quite frankly, I would have tried it out if ASP.net didn't require me to buy an extra machine and all the MS software just to try it out.

I start to understand why ASP.net has yet failed to build a strong community. Don't get me wrong, there certainly are many ASP.net centric sites on the net - but they're usually driven by companies who even charge you to read the forum. It seems to me ASP.net development is focused on developer teams in companies that are not used to share with the outside world - why should you, when you had to pay for every bit yourself?

Is this really the situation Microsoft strives for? PHP might win hands down against ASP.net - not meaning it's better, simply because people 'like' it more. Microsoft still underestimates that in web development, people DO have other choices.

It's a damn shame that I have now a bad impression of ASP.net not for technical but the same reasons that give a salty taste to every Microsoft product so far: They always piss you off by fooling you in one or another way.