SQL; the language is standard, but the point is not relate to how difficult to learn the language.
The main concept of Microsoft money scheme is they often build a unreliable platform then forced upon its users. Before listening to their critics and fix the problem they scraps its old platform complete and rebuild a new fancier platform which "luckily" filled with new set of problem, sometime its old problem still unfixed.
Anyway, just look at its Vista sales number showed people (most corporations) has fed up with Microsoft's attitude. But, Tax payer's money are easy. Many schools are fast adopting vista, new hardware and software, next year they're going to ask for bigger budget. Even Bigger IT departments. lower unemployment; everyone is happy.
My background was from embedded hardware design, use to lot of assembly language, mostly Motorola stuff, few I960, the point is I hate bugs.