...but on the other hand...
Yes, its true that Microsoft is behind the curve. Having pushed ahead several years ago by being early adopters of XML-centric messaging and integration, and having done some great work on the application of bleeding-edge computer science to the whole subject or process automation, Microsoft has allowed its competitors to win back much of the mind-share through ESB architectures and ever-richer BPM tooling. However, I think there is a another, more positive, perspective. What Microsoft often does best in the enterprise space is to play a long game in which they digest the most important trends in technologies, architectures and patterns, and work out how to bring the value of those trends to a much wider range of users by significantly reducing the cost of initial investment and ongoing TCO. Another thing is that, despite the constant criticisms, they are not afraid to invest in approaches which are 'ideosyncratic', but often well-suited to their own (large and growing) customer base. 'Oslo' represents the next stage (or two) of this endeavour. Remember that in Oslo, the focus is really on the platform as a whole, rather than the individual products that build on that platform. For Microsoft, the service bus(es) and associated technologies will serve to add value to their customers' existing platform investment - so very 'Microsoft', and so very compelling for the majority of their customers. MS is on track to win mind-share back in coming years.