not very successful proprietary virtual machine and framework
So .NET is not successful? Can you please explain why, exactly, a technology that counts millions of active developers and thousands of products is not "successful"? What exactly constitutes success, in your book?
has been partially abandoned by its own masters
Uh, abandoned how, exactly? Please be specific, you were modded up for your comment so I assume you have more than just a Slashdot-style FOSS advocacy blurb here to back it up.
You might recall Microsoft spent like three years rewriting parts of Windows in .NET
You might recall that they did indeed rewrite parts of Windows in .NET, like the management console subsystem and several tools like PowerShell. Were you expecting them to rewrite the whole thing in C#, and is that why you claim .NET is not successful? And please, I'd like to see some evidence that they didn't do something they claimed they were going to do in Vista with .NET, because as far as I remember they did exactly what they said they would - nothing more and nothing less.
Maybe we can learn from their very expensive learning experience?
Maybe you can cut down on the impressive-sounding hyperbole a bit. I feel liked I just walked into the Slashdot Spin Zone(TM) here.