I'd say its a combination of myopia + overthinking. On the inside, of course everyone knows the difference between .NET core vs .NET framework. Then, I suspect

I'd say its a combination of myopia + overthinking. On the inside, of course everyone knows the difference between .NET core vs .NET framework. Then, I suspect the final name is chosen via a process similar to selecting a new Pope. What they should have done, in my opinion, is to use a different name entirely since .NET was always weird to begin with (using a "." in a product name is always strange).