Microsoft goes back to the future

[andysocial]

According to an article on News.com, Microsoft is going to begin allowing multiple concurrent versions of each DLL on their new .Net Server platform. They claim this is a benefit so that applications that depend on a particular version won't break when the new DLL is not backward-compatible with the old. I guess they couldn't fix their flawed compatibility checking, so they just let every program have their own set of DLLs. Way to build on the modular, object-oriented thing there.

The article goes on to mention that .Net components will be able to be copied from one system to another without going through a tortuous installshield procedure, but can be simply dropped into the appropriate directory and they'll work, no Registry-hacking required. According to a .Net manager, "It is good for scaling out--it means you can copy applications instead of reinstalling them. The whole process becomes much simpler." Gee, couldn't we do that with any program before MS decided that the Registry was a Good Thing?

Next up, DOS 2004.

Comments

[sosiouxme.livejournal.com]

this is standard money-making procedure.

1) create a product that is seriously hobbled, but still useful.
2) fix the problems and sell it as an upgrade. for best effect, sell several different levels of upgrade, to milk the people for as much as they're willing to pay.

[andysocial]

I like the fact that it's a complete circle, making the simplicity of DOS sound like a goal, rather than something they decided to abandon long ago.