Microsoft continues to show foresight in some areas while distinctly lacking it in others (i.e., the Internet, Web 2.0, search, etc.). As an example of foresight, check out Mary Jo Foley’s coverage of Microsoft’s new Beginner Developer Learning Center.
What’s it for? The name says it all: help drive more would-be programmers to Microsoft by lowering the bar to writing good (or, at least, decent) code.
According to its own studies, Microsoft believes there to be about seven million professional programmers worldwide. But there are as many as 100 million tinkerers who are doing everything from HTML tweaks, to JavaScript coding, to macro-based development. Microsoft refers to this group as “non-professional programmers.”Via the new BLDC site, Microsoft is working to provide non-professional programmers with basic content.
Smart, smart move. I’m not sure it will be enough to stem the tide of new developers moving to open source, but that’s not really the point. Microsoft is expanding the universe of potential developers with this move, and not merely carving up an existing market of developers.
Good idea, Microsoft.
Yes they are.
I study on a brazilian university that just got "bought" by MS.
Theyre changing the disciplines from full java and open techonogies to MS stuff like .NET, C# and stuff.
All the labs got rebuit and new computers bought... Theres MS everywhere you look and, surprise, none of the new computers will have Linux installed. Not even one.
Looks like a evil lab spitting MS drones.
Im totally disgusted on my University move and, if i didnt have the option to stay in my old classes i'd probably go away.
Its not that "Hey, this stuff is better, so lets teach it.
Its just about the money.
The offerings on BDLC are only for learning MS-related technologies: Visual Basic, Visual C#, .NET, etc.