> What can Microsoft do, as an alternative, that doesn't result in an identical or worse situation? Microsoft can recognize that pay-to-play certificates are m

> What can Microsoft do, as an alternative, that doesn't result in an identical or worse situation? Microsoft can recognize that pay-to-play certificates are merely assets owned by developers; not developer identities. Microsoft needs to manage identity relationships with developers in a way that is indepdent of certificate aquisition and expiry. The certificates themselves are merely an implementation detail of identity. With that said, I don't condone the corporate gate-keeping of software development and recommend developers not contribute to any platform that requires indie developers to pay to become a part of the ecosystem. Long live open source.