.NET, Open Source
and Mono
Paul Rayner
Solutions Architect

Java
"Java's
write-once-run-everywhere
capability along with its easy
accessibility have propelled the
software and Internet communities to
embrace it as the de facto standard
for writing applications for complex
networks"
- Jan 23rd, 1996*
*“JavaSoft Ships Java 1.0; Programming environment available free for developers”

.NET – Background

.NET & Standards
In August 2000, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel
worked to standardize CLI and the C# programming
language.
By December 2001, both were ratified ECMA standards
(ECMA 335 and ECMA 334).
ISO followed in April 2003 - the current version of the ISO
standards are ISO/IEC 23271:2006 and ISO/IEC
23270:2006.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework

The Common Language
Infrastructure

The Common Language
Runtime

OSS + .NET
Then:
“Who's going to stand up and support open
source? At least, with us, it's clear who you have
to come and pound down on. There's a clear
line of responsibility.”
- Steve Ballmer 2004

OSS + .NET
Then:
“Technology innovation has happened
much, much more from commercial
software developers
than from open source”
- Steve Ballmer 2004

“First they ignore you,
then they ridicule you,
then they fight you,
then you win.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
mason.gmu.edu/~ktrotman/images/Ghandi.jpg

So NOW!

Google Code:
Hosted Projects
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Rails C++ .NET Javascript Java

Warning: Appearances Can Be
Misleading…
…9416!

A Quick Case Study

Mono
Meet the Monkey

“We created Mono
to make desktop
development
fun”
- Miguel de Icaza

Multi-Platform

Multi-Language

Binary Compatible

Microsoft-Compatible
API

Open Source,
Free Software

APIs
Server Client Third Party
ASP.NET Gtk# Windows.Forms
Apache and
Gdk# Mono.Cairo
FastCGI
System.Data
Cocoa# Pango#
SQL Server
Infrastructure
Mono.Cecil Mono.ZeroConf Mono.Nat Mono.Addins
Novell.Ldap Java/IKVM Mono.RelaxNG Mono.Fuse
Mono.Torrent Mono.Nat Gecko# (Mozilla) Mono.Upnp

Porting from
Windows

Native Mono
Development

Moonlight

Game
Development

Why is Mono
So Important?
Because…
needs
Open Source.

.NET+OSS:
Chasm Crossed?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Technology-Adoption-Lifecycle.png

Paul Rayner
Solutions Architect
http://delicious.com/virtualgenius/Mono
paul@virtual-genius.com
303.374.4370
@virtualgenius (Twitter)
http://virtualgenius.spaces.live.com