Just had a sobering discussion. What I though was misinformation about .NET as a technical platform was actually a much more valid rejection of the .NET community. An entire group of developers learning to code resoundly voted against adding .NET to their curriculum 121-1.

The reason? The .NET community is viewed as toxic. And from my perspective with over 17 years in this community. I must agree. @shanselman years ago asked “why so mean” it’s like the loudest members of the community like to form cliques and demean those who aren’t part of it.

The community is toxic and uninviting to people wanting to learn. Driving by a culture of gatekeeping and parroting dogma that even the yes men don’t fully understand. Asking someone “why do you follow this approach” will get accusations of being a troll. They horde knowledge.

For too long I’ve navigated this minefield and ignored the troublesome spots because I figured there’s assholes everywhere right? Wrong. Too much of the .NET community is driven by how can I make a profit off the myth I’ve created as an “expert”. There are many exceptions to this

But it’s like saying NOT ALL .NET Not all but enough that an entire group of people learning to code rejected a FREE .NET curriculum. This should give anyone who enjoys .NET development pause. This isn’t just some en vogue anti Microsoft sentiments and misinformation.

This is condemnation of the state of the .NET developer community. Which I identify as part of but haven’t done enough to help cultivate an inviting, inclusive, diverse network. For my failure to address the issue at hand I feel ashamed. As should anyone who identifies as such.