The culture changes because new people coming in have different ideas and upbringing. Market forces and realities impact Microsoft's decisions far more than cu

The culture changes because new people coming in have different ideas and upbringing. Market forces and realities impact Microsoft's decisions far more than culture does. The reality of the Microsoft stack right now is that very few people are choosing it as a greenfield option, and those already invested in it are looking at alternatives. Just a few weeks ago I wrote about a new project I was initiating, choosing Java as the platform. Understand that I've been a Microsoft stack developer for many years, but a variety of inertia, platform support, ease of getting setup with the development tools, and trust in the platform reasons made Java the better choice. But this announcement changes the equation to some degree, as have Microsoft's various other opening up directives. Microsoft no longer sets the technology agenda, so choices like this are simply a reaction to that new reality. That isn't being cynical, and the changes are very welcome, but Microsoft didn't just punt the old timers and now they see the light.