A spoof video makes some insightful comments about the future of developers dependent on Microsoft  technologies. You may not like its genre, its in the "Hitler Reacts" set of YouTube videos, but it is accurate and the emotional responses don't seem contrived.

You may have noticed that there is some turmoil in the .NET world about the prospect of Microsoft moving to JavaScript and HTML5 for development in Windows 8 and just about every other platform it controls - with the very strange exception of Windows Phone 7. It is difficult to get the simple facts across to an audience in such a way that it emphasises the ludicrousness of the proposition but at last we have a video that does just that - although it might not be suitable viewing at work.

There is a genre of video on YouTube using the same film clip from the movie Downfall to satirize an event, and while the best days of this mash-up form might be past, this one is true to both the events and the emotional response that is appropriate to them.

You might find Hitler and the Downfall of Silverlight offensive but it tells the story so well it it is worth seeing. So watch as Hitler reacts to the news that Windows 8 apps are to be built using HTML5 and JavaScript. Read the sub-titles, if you speak German then turn the sound down, to see the situation Microsoft seems to be putting us in.

So there you have it and you have the obvious conclusion - I'm not going to give away the final punch line. It would be funny if it wasn't so accurate and so miserably sad.

The only way you can not see it in this way is to deny that it's going to happen. You can claim that it is all a conspiracy to create FUD engineered by bloggers and news outlets trying to make a sensation out of nothing.

However, you still have to explain why Microsoft is silent on the matter. A simple statement that it is all untrue and the future belongs to .NET, WPF and Silverlight would be enough - as long as it was followed by some announcements of future versions, plans and so on.

If publicising this video provokes some response from Microsoft then it will have served some purpose.

Further reading

Office 15 development to go JavaScript

Was .NET all a mistake?

Dumping .NET - Microsoft's Madness

Microsoft goes native - HTML5 that is

JavaScript inherits the earth

More information on Downfall/Hitler Reacts ..

Know Your Meme

The Official Movie Website

25 Hitler Downfall Parodies Worth Watching

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