We are seeing a fluidity in the way techies interact with different technologies today. This topic came up in a conversation with @ceibner at Microsoft Tech Ed earlier today.

In the past people focused on a very narrow (often proprietary) technology stack, such as Java or .NET. However, now with web 2.0 most people in the technology world interact with a broad range of different technologies. We might use open source tools like Blogger, WordPress, Media Wiki, or Wikispaces to quickly put together a blog or a wiki, while still using the corporate platforms like .NET or Java at work. At home we might use PHP, Joomla or Drupal to put together a website for our friends or community. Out of curiosity we download and experiment with Photosynth or AIR.

This diversity and richness in the technology available to us now really drives creativity. It is only possible because of the philosophical breath of fresh air from web 2.0 that has begun to break down the barriers between languages and platforms. This ability to understand, use and mashup many diverse technologies has really liberated us from the old locked-in mentality of the past.

It was quite refreshing to talk to people at a Microsoft event today and to realise that these practitioners are using a wide range of tools to meet business and personal needs. The barriers in our own minds about these technologies is dropping away and enabling some real creativity.