2002-07-20 Dick Porter <dick@ximian.com>

[mono.git] / web / rationale

diff --git a/web/rationale b/web/rationale
index f8e6a1e3a42e75dde0123fd35420fd043d075079..d63cf225a59b302fb5ce278dc0459f66e8ef468a 100644 (file)
--- a/web/rationale
+++ b/web/rationale
@@ -8,35 +8,37 @@
        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/tech/bonobo.html">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>
@@ -54,15 +56,13 @@
 
        </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
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 
                * 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.
 
@@ -108,10 +108,10 @@
 
 ** 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>