[NTLUG:Discuss] .Net and the Mono Project

[don]

I like how they named it after an infectous disease... Freudian slip 
perhaps?? :)

Alex Coker wrote:

>FYI, I found this interesting.
>
>===============================================================
>Application Integration
>Open sourcers unveil .NET plans
>by John K. Waters
>
>Open Source developer Miguel de Icaza, leader of the GNOME
>project and founder of Boston-based Ximian, is a fan of
>Microsoft's .NET.
>
>Icaza, one of the true stars of the open source movement, has
>been telling reporters in recent days that he is impressed
>with the Microsoft approach to providing all products on the
>Internet, and that .NET lets Microsoft start with a clean slate
>and build for the future. And, he gushes, .NET is "a development
>environment for the next twenty years.
>
>"Five years ago, we [open source developers] had the high ground
>in technical tools," Icaza said in a recent interview. "We had
>better tools and a better development environment than Windows
>developers. With .NET, I see that the roles have changed and
>Windows developers have much better tools than we have. Ours
>are good but not as good or as integrated [as .NET tools].
>Within that context, I can see how developers might use Visual
>Studio instead of free software to develop
>applications--especially if they are not concerned with freedom,
>and the ideas behind free software."
>
>Given this view, Ximian's launching of a community initiative
>to develop an open source, Linux-based version of the Microsoft
>.NET development platform was not surprising. Called the Mono
>Project, the initiative will provide a development framework
>designed to allow users to create, deploy, and run .NET
>compatible applications on the Linux platform.
>
>Microsoft has begun flirting with an open approach to .NET.
>The Redmond, WA-based company joined with Canadian software
>maker, Corel, recently in a joint effort to make .NET tools
>and technologies available on the FreeBSD platform under the
>terms of the Microsoft "shared source" license.
>
>However "shared source" is not quite the no-strings-attached
>approach of true open-source development. Supporters of the
>Mono Project claim that it will provide open source developers
>with a true "build once, deploy anywhere" tool set that takes
>advantage of the services enabled by .NET. Under the terms of
>the GPL and the LGPL licenses used by the Mono Project,
>developers can write and distribute commercial and
>proprietary applications, something that is not possible
>with the Microsoft "shared source" license.
>
>The Mono Project will incorporate key .NET compliant components,
>including a C# compiler, a Common Language Runtime just-in-time
>compiler, and a full suite of class libraries. According to
>Ximian, the Mono Project will allow developers to create .NET
>applications that can run on any Mono-supported platform,
>including Windows, Linux and Unix.
>
>Is the open source movement about to be swallowed by the
>monolith from Redmond? Hardly. Open sourcers tend to burn
>with a religious fervor that even the wet weather in
>Washington is unlikely to dampen. As open sourcers turn their
>attention to .NET, it is more likely that the move will
>increase the importance and popularity of the .NET strategy
>while diminishing Microsoft's control over the software
>itself.
>
>"This is a defining moment for the open source community and
>Linux," said high-tech book publisher Tim O'Reilly. "The
>Internet infrastructure has always been based on open source.
>The Mono Project is an essential step in making sure that
>remains true as the Internet evolves."
>
>"The best way to ensure the integrity of .NET is to see whether
>it's possible to create a high-quality alternative
>implementation based on the specification," said Michael
>Tiemann, CTO at Red Hat. "The Mono project, protected with GPL
>licensing, will ensure that communications about the strengths,
>weaknesses, and outright flaws in the .NET architecture can
>be intelligently discussed and responsibly executed."
>
>
>For more on Integration, go to:
>http://www.adtmag.com/section.asp?section=integration.
>
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>
>
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