Another example of developers choosing .Net amd open source, and leaving the technology purity debate to someone else. I was a little surprised when I stumbled on this page about “Open Source .Net eXchange.” It’s a mini-conference in London, UK, for .Net developers who are, or are thinking about, using open source. Topics include:JQuery NHibernate ActiveMQ Spring for .NetI asked Microsoft’s Robert Duffner if his open source team knew about this mini-conference. I was wondering if this is a Microsoft-driven initiative or is it the .Net community scratching an itch? Robert tells me that while his team is aware of the mini-conference, this is more about the .Net community scratching an itch. I find this to be very cool. It’s also an endorsement of Microsoft’s strategy to date, which I would summarize as “.Net developers want to use .Net with open source, let’s make it easier for them to do so.”While open source proponents and Microsoft itself have thrown tomatoes at each other in the past, it’s important for both sides to realize that users can, and do, straddle both camps. This mini-conference is but one small example. p.s.: I should state: “The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies, or opinions.” Open Source