# Microsoft .NET strategy

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Microsoft_.NET_strategy
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Microsoft_.NET_strategy.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_.NET_strategy
> Source revision: 1289499503
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Marketing plan

"Microsoft .NET" redirects here; not to be confused with [.NET Framework](/source/.NET_Framework) or [.NET](/source/.NET).

The **Microsoft .NET strategy** is a [marketing plan](/source/Marketing_plan) that [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft) followed in the early 2000s. [Steve Ballmer](/source/Steve_Ballmer) described it as the company's "most ambitious undertaking since Internet Strategy Day in 1995". In support of this strategy, between 2000 and 2002, Microsoft released ".NET" branded updates to its works, including [Visual Studio .NET](/source/Visual_Studio_.NET), [Visual Basic .NET](/source/Visual_Basic_.NET), [.NET Passport](/source/.NET_Passport), [.NET My Services](/source/.NET_My_Services), [.NET Framework](/source/.NET_Framework), [ASP.NET](/source/ASP.NET) and [ADO.NET](/source/ADO.NET). A Windows .NET Server was also announced. Microsoft had plans to include [Microsoft SQL Server](/source/Microsoft_SQL_Server), [Microsoft Exchange Server](/source/Microsoft_Exchange_Server) and [MSN](/source/MSN) into this strategy.[1][2][3][4][5]

By 2003, however, the .NET strategy had dwindled into a failed branding campaign because the brand had failed to articulate what Microsoft had in mind in the first place. As such, Windows .NET Server was released under the title of [Windows Server 2003](/source/Windows_Server_2003).[6] Since then, Visual Studio and .NET Passport have been stripped of ".NET" in their brandings. However, Microsoft and the rest of the computing industry use ".NET" to indicate close association with .NET Framework, e.g. [.NET Compiler Platform](/source/.NET_Compiler_Platform), [.NET Foundation](/source/.NET_Foundation) and [.NET Reflector](/source/.NET_Reflector).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Deckmyn, Dominique (23 June 2000). ["Update: Microsoft stakes future on .Net strategy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221001012522/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2596383/update--microsoft-stakes-future-on--net-strategy.html). *[Computerworld](/source/Computerworld)*. [IDG](/source/IDG). Archived from [the original](https://www.computerworld.com/article/2596383/app-development/update--microsoft-stakes-future-on--net-strategy.html) on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Advancing Microsoft's .NET strategy"](https://www.zdnet.com/article/advancing-microsofts-net-strategy/). *[ZDNet](/source/ZDNet)*. [CBS Interactive](/source/CBS_Interactive). 14 August 2000.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Serwin, Sebastian (19 July 2002). ["The Microsoft's .NET strategy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240229212242/https://techgenix.com/the_microsofts_net_strategy/). *TechGenix*. Archived from [the original](http://techgenix.com/the_microsofts_net_strategy/) on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Thurrott, Paul (29 September 2002). ["Windows .NET Server: A First Look"](http://www.itprotoday.com/management-mobility/windows-net-server-first-look). *ITPro*. Informa USA.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-MyServicesHome_5-0)** ["Microsoft .NET My Services - Family Home Page"](https://web.archive.org/web/20011107125715/http://www.microsoft.com/myservices/). [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft). Archived from [the original](http://www.microsoft.com/myservices/) on 7 November 2001. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Windows Server's identity crisis"](https://www.cnet.com/news/windows-servers-identity-crisis/). *[CNET](/source/CNET)*. [CBS Interactive](/source/CBS_Interactive). 9 January 2003.

## Further reading

- ["Microsoft .NET: Realizing the Next Generation Internet"](https://web.archive.org/web/20000815055022/http://www.microsoft.com/net/whitepaper.asp). [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft). 30 June 2000. Archived from [the original](http://www.microsoft.com/net/whitepaper.asp) on 15 August 2000. Retrieved 16 January 2018.

- Brodkin, Jon (22 June 2010). ["10 years ago today, Microsoft unveiled the .NET Framework"](https://www.networkworld.com/article/756286/microsoft-subnet-10-years-ago-today-microsoft-unveiled-the-net-framework.html). *[Network World](/source/Network_World)*. [IDG](/source/IDG).

v t e .NET .NET strategy Libraries and frameworks Implementations .NET (Core) .NET Framework Version history .NET Compact Framework .NET Micro Framework DotGNU Mono XNA Framework Architecture Common Language Runtime (CLR) COM Interop Framework Class Library (FCL) Components ADO.NET Entity Framework ASP.NET Web Forms AJAX Core Dynamic Data MVC Razor Avalonia ClickOnce Dynamic Language Runtime Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML) Language Integrated Query (LINQ) Managed Extensibility Framework Microsoft Silverlight Microsoft XNA Parallel Extensions Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) WCF Data Services Windows Forms (WinForms) Windows Identity Foundation (WIF) Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) .NET Remoting Tools Decompilers .NET Reflector dotPeek Obfuscators Dotfuscator SmartAssembly CLR Profiler ILAsm .NET Compiler Platform Native Image Generator (NGen) XAMLPad IDEs Visual Studio Blend Express MonoDevelop SharpDevelop Xamarin Studio Organizations .NET Foundation Microsoft Xamarin Category List Commons

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Microsoft .NET strategy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_.NET_strategy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_.NET_strategy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.