Using Mono

JHeaton · 2010-12-03 14:06:00

Hi all, me again. I just have a quick question that I hope someone might be able to answer. It's not a coding question, but does relate to the matter of programming. At the moment, I'm developing little bits and pieces for a few people, as well as my employer, who use Windows and have decided that C# and .NET will be the most suitable tools of choice because C# is similar in many ways to Java, which I have some familiarity with, and because the use of things like System.Windows.Forms, System.Environment and System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory, amongst others, will allow me to put these things together much faster than many of the alternatives, including Java. As a bonus, .NET Framework is already installed on the target computers (and servers where applicable) so the applications developed will simply be solutions that can be dropped right in to place. If I were to use Java, the JRE would be required and it's generally not our way to install things like that on servers.

The usefulness of these applications, however, might extend to more than just the Windows-using population and so as a result, I'd like to make them cross-platform. This is where Mono comes in to it. Being able to run on Windows, Linux and Mac OS/X, it seems like a good solution especially when you have things like GTK#, Qyoto and Cocoa# to help create good, native-looking interfaces.

Anyway, my question is basically, how widespread is Mono at this moment in time? Do a lot of people use it and do they mind installing it if an application depends on it? I know it's included in Ubuntu because of Tomboy and F-Spot, but I also know that it was removed from Fedora at some point for whatever reason. I guess part of the question is that if you as an Arch user wanted to use an application, but it required Mono, would you install it? Would this bother you and if so, why?

I mean, it's basically the same as the Java situation, but I've seen a lot more Java applications designed and run on non-Windows platforms, whereas .NET was initially developed as being Windows-specific and only since Mono (I think - I also don't know how long it's been around) has it been possible for .NET functionality to be used on other operating systems. So I imagine that as a result of this, it would perhaps be easier and less of a hassle for a user to install a Java package than a .NET/Mono package, but Java really isn't a route that I can go down for some of the things I am doing and I'd prefer to stick to using one language/framework. I considered things like C, C++ etc. and the use of the Win32 API or GTK as appropriate, but I think that might take more time than I can put in to certain things.

Anyway, I know it's a bit of a ramble, so I'll shut up. Hopefully my questions were clear enough.

tl;dr Do you mind installing an extra framework (i.e. Mono) to run an application that you want, even if that's the only one that requires it?

skunktrader · 2010-12-03 14:25:38

JHeaton wrote:

I guess part of the question is that if you as an Arch user wanted to use an application, but it required Mono, would you install it? Would this bother you and if so, why?

For purely philosophical reasons, I would never install any application that had a mono dependency on any of my systems. NEVER EVER. As for why, I have seen this too often to risk getting bitten again http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_e … extinguish This is not an attempt to start a flame war.

Last edited by skunktrader (2010-12-03 14:28:04)

JHeaton · 2010-12-03 15:10:50

skunktrader wrote:

JHeaton wrote:
I guess part of the question is that if you as an Arch user wanted to use an application, but it required Mono, would you install it? Would this bother you and if so, why?
For purely philosophical reasons, I would never install any application that had a mono dependency on any of my systems. NEVER EVER. As for why, I have seen this too often to risk getting bitten again http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_e … extinguish This is not an attempt to start a flame war.

Please feel free to expand on your reasons behind this, I would be quite interested to hear what makes you feel that way. I'd like to keep this discussion free of any fighting, but as long as people can put forward their views in a civil matter, I don't think the thread would end up locked or anything.

ngoonee · 2010-12-03 15:25:12

I'll present the opposite viewpoint, that I would never reject an application purely because its written in Mono. If its a crap app I wouldn't use it, but the big noise surrounding Mono these past few years hasn't to my mind had any substance behind it. There's a variety of reasons which can be found all over the internet, but basically I would refer to the fact that Debian has Mono as an easy indicator of how 'risky' it is.

drcouzelis · 2010-12-03 15:28:45

I started reading about Mono recently. I'm thinking about applying for a job at a company that uses C# and thought I'd look into it a bit by using Mono.

I decided not to try Mono at the moment. I was excited to try building a simple demo application, until I learned that Winforms looks native only on Windows and GTK# looks native only on Linux. (See Mono GUI Toolkits)

Instead, I decided to stick with and continue learning Python with wxPython, both of which are extremely cross platform.

JHeaton wrote:

The usefulness of these applications, however, might extend to more than just the Windows-using population and so as a result, I'd like to make them cross-platform.

Are you going to make a Windows application or a cross platform application? In my opinion those are two quite different goals, and the best tool for one may be very different from the other.

Anyway, my question is basically, how widespread is Mono at this moment in time? Do a lot of people use it and do they mind installing it if an application depends on it? ...If you as an Arch user wanted to use an application, but it required Mono, would you install it? Would this bother you and if so, why?

There's two parts to that question: installing a new library and using Mono specifically.

I don't mind installing a new library. If I remember correctly, I have Qt and kdelibs installed for only one application, which was the best application I found for the task I wanted to do.

As for using Mono specifically, I'm hesitant. In my opinion, Microsoft has a terrible history of not being nice to other software projects that I refuse to forget. Using Mono at the moment isn't a problem. Even so, if many Linux developers started using it and people started relying on many Mono applications, and then Microsoft disallowed software such as Mono, it would be a big problem.

So, unless Microsoft has a legally binding something-something that forever protects Mono applications from being disallowed, I would be very hesitant to install an application that uses Mono. (This may already exist, I'm not sure)

I mean, it's basically the same as the Java situation

Yeah, I decided not to use or develop any Java applications anymore too. It just never seems to be the right tool for the types of applications I write or the type of applications I use.

I considered things like C, C++ etc. and the use of the Win32 API or GTK as appropriate, but I think that might take more time than I can put in to certain things.

For your job, is installing Java not possible but installing GTK is possible? I'm a little confused about how those two options are different, and what you are and aren't allowed to consider as options for your job.

Thank you for the interesting thread and question.

Last edited by drcouzelis (2010-12-03 15:30:19)

JHeaton · 2010-12-03 15:46:01

ngoonee wrote:

I'll present the opposite viewpoint, that I would never reject an application purely because its written in Mono. If its a crap app I wouldn't use it, but the big noise surrounding Mono these past few years hasn't to my mind had any substance behind it. There's a variety of reasons which can be found all over the internet, but basically I would refer to the fact that Debian has Mono as an easy indicator of how 'risky' it is.

Thank you for that. I have to say, I haven't really read anything about it other than the technical information, available tools and some documentation, so perhaps it will be an idea to read up on the non-technical stuff like peoples' opinions and the like.

drcouzelis wrote:

I started reading about Mono recently. I'm thinking about applying for a job at a company that uses C# and thought I'd look into it a bit by using Mono.
I decided not to try Mono at the moment. I was excited to try building a simple demo application, until I learned that Winforms looks native only on Windows and GTK# looks native only on Linux. (See Mono GUI Toolkits)
Instead, I decided to stick with and continue learning Python with wxPython, both of which are extremely cross platform.

Well the thing is, I don't mind rebuilding the GUI section of the application to suit a specific platform, so converting an application that I've developed using Windows Forms to GTK# at a later date isn't an issue for me.

drcouzelis wrote:

Are you going to make a Windows application or a cross platform application? In my opinion those are two quite different goals, and the best tool for one may be very different from the other.

A little bit of both, to be honest. A couple of the ones that rely on Active Directory, for example, will be specific to Windows. But some of them will be designed to suit the needs of the particular person asking for it and in these cases, those people use Windows. However, the application itself is not something that would require a user to be running the Windows operating system so the core of the code could be designed with portability in mind and, as I've already mentioned above, I could redesign the GUI to suit the other platform at a later date, which would make things easier for me in the long run.

drcouzelis wrote:

There's two parts to that question: installing a new library and using Mono specifically.
I don't mind installing a new library. If I remember correctly, I have Qt and kdelibs installed for only one application, which was the best application I found for the task I wanted to do.
As for using Mono specifically, I'm hesitant. In my opinion, Microsoft has a terrible history of not being nice to other software projects that I refuse to forget. Using Mono at the moment isn't a problem. Even so, if many Linux developers started using it and people started relying on many Mono applications, and then Microsoft disallowed software such as Mono, it would be a big problem.
So, unless Microsoft has a legally binding something-something that forever protects Mono applications from being disallowed, I would be very hesitant to install an application that uses Mono. (This may already exist, I'm not sure)

That's actually not something I had put too much thought in to, but I was under the impression (from what I've read) that it is covered by an agreement that should, one would expect, keep Mono safe from that. I can't say I have any information to really say whether or not that is the case though. It will be one of the things that I look in to when I get home from work, so thank you for bringing it up.

drcouzelis wrote:

For your job, is installing Java not possible but installing GTK is possible? I'm a little confused about how those two options are different, and what you are and aren't allowed to consider as options for your job.
Thank you for the interesting thread and question.

In the case of applications that would be running on the servers, they're likely to be Windows-specific tools that manipulate Active Directory, so they would be constructed using a native Windows interface; the need for GTK would not arise in those cases, which is fortunate as installing GTK would not be possible, either. Our basic policy is that we install minimal amounts of non-critical software on our servers. Even simple things like a PDF reader, which would be handy for reading files on certain installation discs, do not go on. It's basically the operating system (Server 2003), anti-virus (Sophos), then any mission-critical software such as Exchange, ISA, ESM Exam Server, CCTV software etc. and all utilities are avoided as much as possible.

What I'm aiming to do, really, is minimise the amount of languages and toolkits that I use for programming. I like C#, both for its feature-set and syntax. The similarities to Java make it easier for me to pick things up on the fly, so I can spend less time learning the language and more time learning the features of particular namespaces and APIs. A lot of my programming is going to be Windows-specific for work purposes, but I also want to delve in to creating software for the community. I could switch to using another language with other toolkits in order to do this, but I saw Mono as a possible way of avoiding having to do so in the same way. Admittedly, the level of research I have done is only small so far, but as far as I can tell so far it seems like the kind of thing that would allow me to do what I want.

Thank you all for the replies so far.

ngoonee · 2010-12-03 16:36:09

JHeaton wrote:

drcouzelis wrote:
There's two parts to that question: installing a new library and using Mono specifically.
I don't mind installing a new library. If I remember correctly, I have Qt and kdelibs installed for only one application, which was the best application I found for the task I wanted to do.
As for using Mono specifically, I'm hesitant. In my opinion, Microsoft has a terrible history of not being nice to other software projects that I refuse to forget. Using Mono at the moment isn't a problem. Even so, if many Linux developers started using it and people started relying on many Mono applications, and then Microsoft disallowed software such as Mono, it would be a big problem.
So, unless Microsoft has a legally binding something-something that forever protects Mono applications from being disallowed, I would be very hesitant to install an application that uses Mono. (This may already exist, I'm not sure)
That's actually not something I had put too much thought in to, but I was under the impression (from what I've read) that it is covered by an agreement that should, one would expect, keep Mono safe from that. I can't say I have any information to really say whether or not that is the case though. It will be one of the things that I look in to when I get home from work, so thank you for bringing it up.

(Un)fortunately there's tons of information on the interwebz for that. For a while you'd have believed the open-source world was coming to an end. Have fun reading, like I said my conclusion from what I picked up is that a lot of people with too much time on their hands were coming up with doomsday scenarios. I didn't see any arguments which don't apply just as well to integral Linux software (such as the kernel, for instance). The concerns are primarily US-focused, as well, since the rest of the world doesn't have the laws the US does.

skunktrader · 2010-12-03 16:39:38

drcouzelis wrote:

As for using Mono specifically, I'm hesitant. In my opinion, Microsoft has a terrible history of not being nice to other software projects that I refuse to forget. Using Mono at the moment isn't a problem. Even so, if many Linux developers started using it and people started relying on many Mono applications, and then Microsoft disallowed software such as Mono, it would be a big problem.
So, unless Microsoft has a legally binding something-something that forever protects Mono applications from being disallowed, I would be very hesitant to install an application that uses Mono. (This may already exist, I'm not sure)

Microsoft had a legally binding agreement with IBM when they were developing OS/2 together, and a legally binding agreement with Sun when they were developing their own Java VM but that didn't stop them from walking away when the "Extinguish" part of their business model kicked in.

I have seen no reason to believe that Microsoft won't do exactly the same thing to linux / FOSS when the time comes.

drcouzelis · 2010-12-03 16:56:46

ngoonee wrote:

(Un)fortunately there's tons of information on the interwebz for that. For a while you'd have believed the open-source world was coming to an end. Have fun reading, like I said my conclusion from what I picked up is that a lot of people with too much time on their hands were coming up with doomsday scenarios. I didn't see any arguments which don't apply just as well to integral Linux software (such as the kernel, for instance). The concerns are primarily US-focused, as well, since the rest of the world doesn't have the laws the US does.

I think you have valid points that have helped me think about this situation differently:

Free and open source software is very important to me. Mono and applications that use Mono are free and open source right now. (Well... you know. Except that ones that aren't. But whatever) If, for whatever reason, Microsoft prevents the use of Mono in the future, (And at this point, it looks like it would be the far future) then the free and open source community will adapt, like they always do.

So, no, I guess I don't have a philosophical reason for not using Mono.

...BUT! I still feel about Mono the same way I feel about Java: it never seems to be the right tool for the types of applications I write or the type of applications I use.

Maybe JHeaton will change that.

skunktrader wrote:

Microsoft had a legally binding agreement with IBM when they were developing OS/2 together, and a legally binding agreement with Sun when they were developing their own Java VM but that didn't stop them from walking away when the "Extinguish" part of their business model kicked in.

NOOOOOOOOOO!

JHeaton · 2010-12-03 19:48:36

ngoonee wrote:

(Un)fortunately there's tons of information on the interwebz for that. For a while you'd have believed the open-source world was coming to an end. Have fun reading, like I said my conclusion from what I picked up is that a lot of people with too much time on their hands were coming up with doomsday scenarios. I didn't see any arguments which don't apply just as well to integral Linux software (such as the kernel, for instance). The concerns are primarily US-focused, as well, since the rest of the world doesn't have the laws the US does.

That's interesting, thanks. I've had a quick look and I can see the kind of thing you're saying, but I did find a lot that dispelled all of what could well be FUD, so I'm not sure. At the end of the day, in my opinion it is actually of benefit to Microsoft if they allow Mono to continue undisrupted by such actions. Interesting to see that Mono/C#/.NET aren't the only things at such a risk, although they do seem to be the ones focused on the most.

skunktrader wrote:

Microsoft had a legally binding agreement with IBM when they were developing OS/2 together, and a legally binding agreement with Sun when they were developing their own Java VM but that didn't stop them from walking away when the "Extinguish" part of their business model kicked in.
I have seen no reason to believe that Microsoft won't do exactly the same thing to linux / FOSS when the time comes.

Interesting. I guess, in the end, we'll see what happens. If it was to eventually come down to it, then I would end up porting my applications to another language in order to keep them available to the community, but as mentioned by drcouzelis it's more likely that the FOSS community will simply adapt and move on, as has been done in the past. I know it's not ideal to go in to this knowing that there is a chance that something like that could happen, but I have to weigh up between longevity of an application and the framework and libraries upon which it is built, and the convenience of using a language that I understand, is easy and allows me to build solid applications with good interfaces in a smaller amount of time than some others.

I've tried C++ for stuff like that, Perl with the Win32::GUI module, Java with Swing etc. and had varying results. C++ is a language that I have a hard time with no matter how often I go back to it, but I reckon if I really pushed myself I could start getting to grips with it. The problem? I have a solution sat around that seems to be better for me to use, so it's not easy to justify not using it if it works for what I want. Perl and Win32::GUI was a disaster, but perhaps that's because Perl wasn't really suitable for what I was doing at the time.

With Java and Swing, I've had a decent time putting together some basic GUI applications that seem to do well, so I don't see a reason not to use Java in general, but some of the situations I find myself in mean that I am unable to use Java because I cannot install the JRE. The other issue is that since I will, at least for the next six months to a year, be developing primarily for the Windows platform and then branching out, it would make life easier to use C# and .NET because at all our schools the latest .NET Framework versions are rolled out by WSUS once they've been tested and approved for use.

drcouzelis wrote:

Free and open source software is very important to me. Mono and applications that use Mono are free and open source right now. (Well... you know. Except that ones that aren't. But whatever) If, for whatever reason, Microsoft prevents the use of Mono in the future, (And at this point, it looks like it would be the far future) then the free and open source community will adapt, like they always do.
So, no, I guess I don't have a philosophical reason for not using Mono.

So far, I agree with that. My reason for asking wasn't philosophical mind you; I wasn't really aware of any issues (or rather, potential issues) prior to the responses in this thread. My main reason for asking was whether or not having to install an extra library (or perhaps a few) was reason enough to put someone off using an application. The question itself can certainly extend to having to install Java/Python/Perl/whatever, but certain things are made available by default in the operating system, depending on the distributor and their software selection policies.

Certainly in some cases people will find it a pain, particularly if they're low on space, but I don't think Mono takes up a terrible amount personally (150MB or so) so I get the feeling that it would only really be in the more extreme cases*.

drcouzelis wrote:

...BUT! I still feel about Mono the same way I feel about Java: it never seems to be the right tool for the types of applications I write or the type of applications I use.
Maybe JHeaton will change that.

I can understand what you mean. After messing around with Pascal and C at college, I avoided programming for a while until I was introduced to Perl by a friend. It's pretty cool, but never feels like the right tool for what I want to do. Nice for quick and dirty scripts, but I find it lacking for bigger development tasks. Maybe that's me just not doing it right, though!

As for changing how you feel about Mono, I guess we'll see. I wouldn't be going out of my way to do so but I'll probably start up a blog and post regularly about my experiences on that so you'd be more than welcome to read! </blatant advertising>

ngoonee · 2010-12-04 06:13:30

drcouzelis wrote:

So, no, I guess I don't have a philosophical reason for not using Mono.
...BUT! I still feel about Mono the same way I feel about Java: it never seems to be the right tool for the types of applications I write or the type of applications I use.
Maybe JHeaton will change that.

That's the spirit

Pank · 2010-12-04 13:00:31

This is an interesting thread.
Personally, I would not use a Mono application for philosophical/ethical reasons. My reasoning is similar to that of skunktrader. Surely, great software depending on mono exists, e.g. F-Spot and Banshee, but, alas, Mono rules it out---at least to me.

Thus, I would discard your Mono-dependent software; at least on a Linux box. On a Windows box, being inheritably ridden by all kinds crap, I would not mind.

However, for the case that your describe Mono seems like a god choice, eh?

JHeaton · 2010-12-04 20:28:46

Pank wrote:

This is an interesting thread.
Personally, I would not use a Mono application for philosophical/ethical reasons. My reasoning is similar to that of skunktrader. Surely, great software depending on mono exists, e.g. F-Spot and Banshee, but, alas, Mono rules it out---at least to me.
Thus, I would discard your Mono-dependent software; at least on a Linux box. On a Windows box, being inheritably ridden by all kinds crap, I would not mind.

Having spent last night and most of today looking around, it seems that this would be the dividing point more so than just having to install extra frameworks/libraries for software to work. This would be a great shame as, just as you say, there is a lot of great Mono-dependent software out there and in my opinion, the best tool for the job should be selected. In some cases, the best tool will require Mono; to then not use that tool because something may or may not happen somewhere down the line (from what I can see, it would certainly be difficult for that to become the case) is not something I see as a good thing, but of course I respect the decisions and opinions of those people. At the end of the day, they could end up being proven right and Mono developers could indeed end up either having to adapt or else porting their applications to something else. I don't believe such a thing would happen, but there is never a 100% guarantee.

Pank wrote:

However, for the case that your describe Mono seems like a god choice, eh?

It really is looking that way, from my perspective at least. If something better is available to do what I want, then of course I would consider using it because I want to use the best tools for the job, but so far my research has led me to Mono.

skunktrader · 2010-12-04 20:47:27

JHeaton wrote:

At the end of the day, they could end up being proven right and Mono developers could indeed end up either having to adapt or else porting their applications to something else. I don't believe such a thing would happen, but there is never a 100% guarantee.

Thats what all the OS/2, and to a certain extent java developers thought as well when they decided which platforms to develop on

JHeaton · 2010-12-04 20:49:54

skunktrader wrote:

JHeaton wrote:
At the end of the day, they could end up being proven right and Mono developers could indeed end up either having to adapt or else porting their applications to something else. I don't believe such a thing would happen, but there is never a 100% guarantee.
Thats what all the OS/2, and to a certain extent java developers thought as well when they decided which platforms to develop on

I'd be interested in knowing more of what went on in both of those cases. Do you have any links that describe them and, in particular, the agreements that were in place that were supposed to keep the developers protected?

skunktrader · 2010-12-04 20:57:57

A quick google found these

http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-251401.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/28/us/ib … -feud.html

Last edited by skunktrader (2010-12-04 20:58:08)

JHeaton · 2010-12-04 21:43:14

Hmm, that's interesting, but I honestly don't think that it's enough to worry me considering other things I've read. I will, however, keep it in mind and keep myself up-to-date on matters as a sensible precaution. Hopefully though, times have changed at least a little.

jordi · 2010-12-06 20:14:50

As I am a C# .NET developer myself I don't mind using Mono at all. For me it looks saver than java (blame oracle) and just as save as python, ruby or whatever. (Since the c# spec is a standard and the mono devs try to make sure not to use propritary code)

If for some reason an all-out-patent war starts, you can't be save with any language.

fsckd · 2010-12-06 22:41:59

ngoonee wrote:

(Un)fortunately there's tons of information on the interwebz for that. For a while you'd have believed the open-source world was coming to an end. Have fun reading, like I said my conclusion from what I picked up is that a lot of people with too much time on their hands were coming up with doomsday scenarios. I didn't see any arguments which don't apply just as well to integral Linux software (such as the kernel, for instance). The concerns are primarily US-focused, as well, since the rest of the world doesn't have the laws the US does.

What a pointless argument. OP is from UK which mirrors US IP laws very closely.

My suggestion to you, JHeaton,
1) Stop basing business decisions on advice by High School and Uni students.
2) Write a spec of what you want from a framework. Include ideal requirements that would be perfect to have and dealbreakers you and your clients would not be willing to do without. List the frameworks you think would fall between those two extremes and start narrowing them down. If you find mono is the best solution, adopt it and don't look back.
3) Be aware that fear of mono is founded in MS's past and recent behaviour which has been very malicious, unethical and at times illegal.

Personally, I wouldn't touch mono with a 10 foot pole. A 12 foot pole, may be, but only if I get to poke it with a poison-tipped spear.

JHeaton · 2010-12-06 23:24:12

fsckd wrote:

What a pointless argument. OP is from UK which mirrors US IP laws very closely.
My suggestion to you, JHeaton,
1) Stop basing business decisions on advice by High School and Uni students.

To be fair, it's not much of a business decision. The software I will develop as part of my job is going to be for Windows machines and, as such, I've decided that C# .NET will most likely be what I use for that, unless I find something more convenient. This is more on the personal side of things. Ideally, I want to be able to take whatever language and framework I use in the work environment and apply it to any personal projects of my own that I might release for the community. Should any of the things I develop for work be useful in non-Windows environments, the ability to quickly release them in a form that will run on Linux or OS/X would be highly advantageous. At the end of the day, if the results I get from the investigation I'm doing reveal that a large number of Linux users would not install Mono at any cost, then I will re-evaluate my one-toolbox-fits-all dream and look in to alternatives. I have a couple of things lined up, but I'm hoping I will be able to avoid that scenario.

If anyone has any alternatives that would work across all environments without having to install additional frameworks/runtime environments/etc. on our company's (and our customers') servers, then please do suggest them. If everything necessary to run an application can easily be bundled in to the package easily and efficiently, then it would likely throw whatever it is in to the running.

Thank you very much for the response, it was interesting to read and I will bear these points in mind.

gorudonu · 2010-12-07 03:02:16

jordi wrote:

As I am a C# .NET developer myself I don't mind using Mono at all. For me it looks saver than java (blame oracle) and just as save as python, ruby or whatever. (Since the c# spec is a standard and the mono devs try to make sure not to use propritary code)
If for some reason an all-out-patent war starts, you can't be save with any language.

I dont think so that mono is safer than java. There are many companies who support java (ibm, apache, google, etc.) so I don't think that oracle can do that they want

Personally I like c# and it's the best option for windows development (I was developing apps in c# and VS works great with it) but no for multiplatform (in my opinion).

edit:

ok, apache just left jcp

Last edited by gorudonu (2010-12-11 01:18:08)

AugustePop · 2010-12-10 05:21:55

If you are programming in C#, why not simply use Microsoft's proprietary .NET Framework?

I think you can easily port C# code to Mono when you want to port the application into another system, if I understand it correctly.

Personally, I think C# is far better a language than Java, but I still avoid any Mono applications on my Linux desktop.

drcouzelis · 2010-12-14 20:35:40

I think the comments from this article nicely summarizes the situation of the dangers of using Mono: It's confusing and nobody knows the answer.

ngoonee · 2010-12-15 02:34:03

drcouzelis wrote:

I think the comments from this article nicely summarizes the situation of the dangers of using Mono: It's confusing and nobody knows the answer.

Yep, that's why everyone avoids Java et. al.? The abomination that is patent law is confusing, end-of. What makes Mono special in that regard, as compared to, say, the linux kernel?

Arch Linux

#1 2010-12-03 14:06:00

Using Mono

#2 2010-12-03 14:25:38

Re: Using Mono

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Re: Using Mono

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Re: Using Mono

#5 2010-12-03 15:28:45

Re: Using Mono

#6 2010-12-03 15:46:01

Re: Using Mono

#7 2010-12-03 16:36:09

Re: Using Mono

#8 2010-12-03 16:39:38

Re: Using Mono

#9 2010-12-03 16:56:46

Re: Using Mono

#10 2010-12-03 19:48:36

Re: Using Mono

#11 2010-12-04 06:13:30

Re: Using Mono

#12 2010-12-04 13:00:31

Re: Using Mono

#13 2010-12-04 20:28:46

Re: Using Mono

#14 2010-12-04 20:47:27

Re: Using Mono

#15 2010-12-04 20:49:54

Re: Using Mono

#16 2010-12-04 20:57:57

Re: Using Mono

#17 2010-12-04 21:43:14

Re: Using Mono

#18 2010-12-06 20:14:50

Re: Using Mono

#19 2010-12-06 22:41:59

Re: Using Mono

#20 2010-12-06 23:24:12

Re: Using Mono

#21 2010-12-07 03:02:16

Re: Using Mono

#22 2010-12-10 05:21:55

Re: Using Mono

#23 2010-12-14 20:35:40

Re: Using Mono

#24 2010-12-15 02:34:03

Re: Using Mono

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