desktop applications. We also realized early on that language
independence was important, and that is why GNOME APIs were
coded using a standard that allowed the APIs to be easily
- wrapped for other languages. Our APIs are available on most
+ wrapped for other languages. Our APIs are available to most
programming languages on Unix (Perl, Python, Scheme, C++,
Objective-C, Ada).
Later on we decided to use better methods for encapsulating
our APIs, and we started to use CORBA to define interfaces to
- components we complemented it with policy and a set of
- standard GNOME interfaces for easily creating reusable and
+ components. We complemented it with policy and a set of
+ standard GNOME interfaces for easily creating reusable,
language independent components, controls and compound
documents. This technology is known as <a
- href="http://www.ximian.com/tech/bonobo.php3">Bonobo<a>, and
- easy to use interfaces to Bonobo exist for C, Perl, Python,
+ href="http://developer.ximian.com/articles/whitepapers/bonobo">Bonobo</a>.
+ Interfaces to Bonobo exist for C, Perl, Python, and
Java.
CORBA is good when you define coarse interfaces, and most
Bonobo interfaces are coarse. The only problem is that
Bonobo/CORBA interfaces are not good for small interfaces.
- For example implementing an XML parser component and use it to
- parse, create and walk an XML document would be inneficient
- compared to a C API.
+ For example, an XML parsing Bonobo/CORBA component would be
+ inefficient compared to a C API.
+
+** Another explanation
+
+ I recently explained our motivations to Dave Winer, and he posted
+ it <a
+ href="http://scriptingnews.userland.com/stories/storyReader$1275">here</a>
** Microsoft's .NET
The Microsoft .NET initiative is confusing because it is a
company wide effort that ranges from development tools to end
- user applications.
-
- Depending who you ask, you will probably get a different
- answer on what .NET is, as .NET is a branding formative that
+ user applications. .NET is a branding formative that
has been applied to:
<ul>
</ul>
- From all the above, the one I am interested in is the new .NET
- development platform.
+ Mono is an implementation of the .NET development platform.
** The Common Language Infrastructure platform.
Microsoft has created a new development platform. The
highlights of this new development platform are:
-
<ul>
* A runtime environment that provides garbage
collection, threading and a virtual machine
* A comprehensive class library.
- * A new language, C#. Very similar to Java. C#
+ * A new language, C#. Very similar to Java, C#
allows programmers to use all the features available
on the .NET runtime.
** ECMA standards.
- Microsoft together with HP and Intel have submitted the
+ Microsoft has submitted the
specifications of C#, the runtime, the metadata and the
other various bits of the .NET development platform to the
- ECMA for standarization.
+ <a href="http://www.ecma.ch">ECMA</a> for standarization.
You can get a copy of the specifications submitted to ECMA
from: <a href="http://www.dotnetexperts.com/ecma">http://www.dotnetexperts.com/ecma</a>
** What makes up Mono?
- There are various pieces that will make up Mono:
+ There are various pieces that make up Mono today:
<ul>
* A C# compiler.
- * The Virtual Execution System: that will have the
+ * The Virtual Execution System: that has the
Just-in-Time compiler, garbage collector, loader,
threading engine.
- A byte code interpreter will be provided for quickly
+ A byte code interpreter is provided for quickly
porting Mono to new systems and debugging the JIT
purposes, but it is not intended to be the ideal
execution environment.
- * An implemenation of the .NET class library.
+ * An implemenation of the .NET class libraries:
+ Remoting, Reflection, Reflection.Emit, Xml, Xpath,
+ Xslt, Xml Serialization, Web Services support.
+
+ * Cross platform class libraries for data access:
+ Postgress, MySQL, DB2, TDS, Sybase, Oracle, ODBC and
+ Gnome's GDA.
+
+ * Unix class libraries: Mono.Posix
+
+ * Gnome-specific class libraries: The Gtk# family.
+
+ * A code pre-compiler to generate native code ahead of
+ time.
+
+ * Gtk# a toolkit to develop GNOME applications on Unix
+ and Windows.
+
+ * An implementation of the Remoting infrastructure in
+ .NET
+ </ul>
+
+ Other work-in-progress components:
+
+ <ul>
+ * A VB.NET compiler and JScript compilers are in the works.
- * Visual development tools.
+ * Web services on the server side.
- * A CIL GCC frontend.
+ * We are planning to include Remoting.CORBA as part of
+ Mono standard distribution.
</ul>
** Why use GNOME components?
projects / mono.git / blobdiff