Microsoft has re-branded the technology as .Net Framework 3.0. Now, some want the old name back, reports InfoWord. Microsoft's recent renaming of its WinFX technology set to .Net Framework 3.0 has drawn the ire of some users, and a petition to change it back is circulating online. As of noon Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, the "Reverse WinFX" petition had 346 signatures.
"This decision was made without any community feedback, which is uncharacteristic of Microsoft's recent openness to community input," the petition states. The petition refers to the new naming as Net 3.0, a shortened way of noting Net Framework 3.0.
Seeking to clarify the naming convention for its developer framework, the company renamed its WinFX technologies Net Framework 3.0 this spring. Net Framework 3.0 is slated for inclusion in the upcoming Windows Vista platform. .Net Framework 3.0 features the Windows Communication Foundation Web services platform, the Windows Presentation Foundation presentation layer, Windows Workflow, and Windows CardSpace for identity management.
Microsoft released a statement on Wednesday responding to the petition that emphasized that the re-branding was based on what customers wanted.
"The impetus for the re-branding was based on feedback we heard from customers. The .Net Framework is a strategic brand that has come to symbolize both managed code development and overall platform thought leadership. Microsoft has poured an incredible amount of energy into the brand over the past five years. With over 90 percent professional developer awareness and over 50 percent professional developer adoption, we must continue building on the incredible equity we??™ve built in this brand. This decision will enable us to do that," the company said.
"Additionally, this decision will simplify our message to developers. While the WinFX brand has helped us introduce the incredible innovations within Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow, and Windows CardSpace, the brand also creates an unnatural discontinuity between previous versions of our framework and the current version.
"The complexity and ambiguity of having two top-level developer brands may lead to confusion later down the road for developers. In contrast, the .Net Framework 3.0 aptly identifies the technology for exactly what it is -- the next version of our developer framework," the company said.
Online petitions seem to be growing in popularity as a means to protest the actions of technology vendors. Recently, a petition began circulating against the use of the term, SOA 2.0. Previously, a petition was begun in favor of saving the Visual Basic 6 programming language.
