Summary: Microsoft presents a poor man's platform, insists that developers charge for everything, and also offers no real benefits to people who support its platform

THERE is a certain stereotype Microsoft is trying to create about "poor" GNU/Linux people and "wealthy" Windows people. In reality, suggest all sorts of figures like donations to game makers, it is exactly the opposite. Microsoft is about greed, but not about wealth. It is about taking, not giving. Those who were foolish enough to develop for Vista Phony 7 recently realised that almost nobody possesses a phone with this platform. What a waste of time it must have been for these developers.

A couple of years back we showed that Microsoft encouraged developers not to give Windows Mobile applications for free. True story (see our many other posts about Windows Mobile). Jan adds that while it is not new, Microsoft now says there must be "Absolutely NO Free Software for Windows Phone and Xbox Apps." Jan's interpretation/opinion makes perfect sense:

This is rather uncool, IMHO, I stumbled upon this forum entry and was quite astonished. It points to the Microsoft Application Provider Agreement that governs the Windows Marketplace, the App Store where users can get apps and developers publish them.

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Note the full scope: in whole or in part. This means that you cannot use Libraries that are under this ominous “Excluded License”. Or use documentation that is licensed under the ominous “Excluded License”. You get the point. If you use whatever stuff that is under this ominous “Excluded License” your app will not be added to the marketplace.

Jan's colleague, Harish, has just posted a link to this article titled "Microsoft certifications won't boost your pay much" and to quote the punchline:

"So many people have Microsoft certifications that the gap between supply and demand is not that great, like it is with other certifications," says David Foote of the IT research firm Foote Partners.

People who want to earn a decent living don't train to become Microsoft vassals. People pay more for services that offer them independence and true control. ⬆