Re: Comparison of Java, C# for development on Windows and future for them

"Ingo Pakleppa" <ingo-immigration_at_kkeane.com> wrote in message news:Ze5Y9.12695$LA4.655734_at_news1.west.cox.net...
> > To everyone talking about c# being windows only, have you checked
out
> > mono lately?
> >
> > http://www.go-mono.org/
> >
> > It's some pretty cool stuff!
> >
> > Michael
>
> Mono is extremely controversial, and likely to fail eventually.

Posh.

>
> There are two main problems with it.
>
> First, it promotes the .NET framework that is controlled by one vendor
who
> doesn't exactly have a track record of cross-platform compatibility.
In
> other words, it is controversial because it does the wrong thing.

Wait, Mono isn't implementing the .NET framework, it's implementing the ECMA C# and CLI specs (specs which have been approved preliminarily by ISO as well). There are some add-on Mono projects for Microsoft .NETspecific  things like Windows Forms, VB.NET, and ASP.NET, but they are not core to mono.

The specs are specs and cannot change easily. MS can ignore them, but as the ECMA-compliant crowd grows, MS would shoot themselves in the foot. They have said they will continue to work within the ECMA and any new changes will be submitted and so far this has been the case and there's not a strong reason to believe it will stop anytime soon.

> Second, there are patent and copyright issues in .NET and C# that
would
> allow Microsoft to pretty much at any time they like stop the work
dead in
> its tracks (there are similar issues surrounding Samba, btw).

Not quite. SMB is different, it's not an ECMA or ISO standard like C# and CLI.

If Mono attempted to sell their product, then there might be an issue, but I'm not sure.

> So, despite mono, it is still safe to say that C# and .NET are still
> Microsoft-only technologies that may be available on other platforms -
but
> I wouldn't trust it with anything that a business depends on unless I
also
> wanted to commit to Windows.

Well, then perhaps you should read up then.

-c Received on Fri Jan 24 2003 - 12:50:10 CST