Microsoft is subsidizing projects to promote .NET and other Microsoft projects. This is how it works. Microsoft goes to companies like banks or software development shops and bears part of the cost of a new project to be developed. Customers like banks pay less for the project development and Microsoft in return gets the customers hooked to .NET and other Microsoft products. Some of the companies have been long time java shops and are now converting to .NET because of this Microsoft subsidy. Is this practice legal?

Yes it is! And we ought to be -thankful- for it!

I tell you, I always suspected that Java VM was a dangerous contraption. But now that Microsoft has revealed that Java code can haul off and -kill- you, I'm doing all my projects in VB!

I'll never abandon Visual Studio AGAIN, BILL! You SAVED my LIFE!

In Russia they do the same for the independent developers.
Some like financing from MS for .NET developers.
And yes, it is legal.

Marina
http://www.servletsuite.com