In a cross-platform world where software giants nevertheless continue to vie with each other for developer mindshare, it is significant that only one major company has managed to synch up its release numbers with the Web 2.0 phenomenon. Microsoft is not resting on its laurels though, and the .NET Framework 2.0 is now going to be subsumed into the renamed WinFX, now dubbed the .NET Framework 3.0. So clearly the intention is to stay ahead of the curve.

Staying ahead of the curve is something we have always tried to do each month at .NET Developer's Journal. As editor-in-chief of this magazine, the daunting task of helping map the present and future of .NET development, now falls to one of the magazine's longest-running contributors and supporters, Patrick Hynds - whose day job as president of CriticalSites gives him a uniquely hands-on insight into the world of software design, development, implementation, security, and maintenance.

Patrick inherits a magazine that founding editor-in-chief Derek Ferguson has helped shape into a versatile and insightful forum characterized by a passion for Microsoft's technology stack combined with a strong sense of perspective about interop and the reality of mixed environments in today's IT landscape. As he writes below, he is faced with filling a pair of large shoes, but .NET Developer's Journal welcomes his energy, insight, and experience and looks forward to seeing his feet grow!

As for Derek, our debt to him is too enormous to do justice to in so short a space. So instead please join me in saluting him for his five relentless years in the hot seat. The rest of this space I am turning over to Patrick...

That is the position I find myself in today as I take the reins of the .NET Developer's Journal from Derek Ferguson, the man who showed me the ropes when I first started to contribute. With that being said I will do my best and will likely be running back to Derek for advice and guidance early and often!

The names on the margin matter much less, however, than the content in the pages of each issue. In .NET Developer's Journal we will continue to document the new and changing technologies in this and future issues. An example of a very changing technology is SharePoint. I remember when Site Server was discontinued (Tim Huckaby had very mixed feelings as I recall having worked on that behemoth) and several products were spun out of the technology that was Site Server - CMS, Commerce Server and, of course, SharePoint. The first versions were rough with custom (read proprietary) storage and a very, very challenging development story. The latest version is a far cry from those early days as extensibility and customization are the new watch words in not only SharePoint, but also the split-out Windows SharePoint Services.

There are already some books on the horizon such as The Developer's Guide to the Windows SharePoint Services v3 Platform by Todd Bleeker, which really shows how much there is for developers in this technology. I find that books like this are great for comprehensive coverage, but articles like those we have assembled in this issue are what really help developers figure out whether they are on the right track with a technology like SharePoint.

If you tried SharePoint in its first version and came away at all unsatisfied (I know plenty of people who loved that first version, but none of them are developers), then you really need to take another look. In our future editions we promise to show you the ropes and you can decide what to do with it in your own world. Look for our themed issues in the coming year and we expect you will find all you need to put this stuff to work for your own organizations.