Are There Alternatives to UPnP?

semanticgap asks: "I am thinking of putting together a PC based home entertainment system (media server in the basement talking to various computers around the house and controllable via some sort of a remote control device, etc.) as a fun project with emphasis on writing software. I've been reading up on the current state of affairs, and it looks like the protocol for this sort of a thing is UPnP (Universal Plug-n-Pray). It seems to provide all the functionality I want, but I don't like the fact that it is developed by Microsoft, nor do I like it in general - it relies heavily on things like UUID's, HTTPMU and other Microsoft-ish hacks. So I thought I'd ask Slashdot community - is UPnP going to gain acceptance, or are there alternatives to it?"