When Bill Gates announced that his .Net initiative would shift Microsoft Corp.'s focus to the Web platform, many wondered how all those dedicated to Windows, Office and other Microsoft proprietary platform software would react. Two interesting articles answer that question somewhat differently.

According to an article in eWEEK, Windows and Office interests have reestablished their dominance in the company while NetDocs, the centerpiece of the .Net effort, has been assigned to a much more evolutionary and integrated role within the structure. On the other hand, a piece in the Industry Standard interprets the recent annual restructuring as evidence that Microsoft is more committed than ever to supporting .Net, though it will protect its position on the desktop in the meantime.

The ZDNet article is at zdnn.com. The Industry Standard article is at thestandard.com.