The Mono and DotGNU projects are Open Source projects that, after several years of development, are beginning to bear fruit. Mono aims to create an open source implementation of Microsoft's .NET application frameworks and services. It includes a C# compiler, a runtime for the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI or sometimes CLR), and a set of class libraries. The runtime implements counterparts of both ADO.NET and ASP.NET that can be embedded in an application. Likewise, DotGNU attempts to provide an alternative to .NET technology. It comprises a compiler, a library, and a groupware suite. The two projects have some overlap, but also share code and technologies.

This exclusive LinuxDevices.com “Hot Topic” guide is designed to help you get up to speed — and keep up with — the latest information and developments surrounding these open source implementations of .NET.

This guide contains:

• Project Links — start here for quick summaries of .NET-related projects and links to the project Web sites
• Background Info — read these stories to understand the role and history of each project
• Product and Technology Releases — check here for our most recent status reports on these projects.

We hope you find this guide useful, and recommend that you check back periodically for updates. Enjoy . . .

• Mono — an open source implementation of the .NET Development Framework — The Mono Project is an open development initiative sponsored by Ximian that is working to develop an open source, Unix version of the Microsoft .NET development platform. Its objective is to enable Unix developers to build and deploy cross-platform .NET Applications. The project will implement various technologies developed by Microsoft that have now been submitted to the ECMA for standardization.
• DotGNU Portable.NET — free software tools to build and execute .NET apps — The goal of this project is to build a suite of free software tools to build and execute .NET applications, including a C# compiler, assembler, disassembler, and runtime engine. The initial target platform is GNU/Linux, with other platforms to follow in the future.
• DotGNU — an open source webservices meta-project — “We're building something that could be called an 'operating system for the internet' — a collection of tools that allow software components to interact with each other over the internet. The most impressive parts are currently DotGNU Portable.NET which builds a C# compiler, class library, and related development tools, and phpGroupWare, a multi-user web-based GroupWare suite, which also serves to provide a good collection of webservice components, all of which can be accessed through XML-RPC so that you can easily integrate them into webservice applications of your own.
• Qt# — a cross-platform GUI toolkit for Mono and Portable.Net — This is a set of classes that bind any CIL language to the Qt toolkit. The bindings are in alpha phase right now, but development is moving quickly.

• Mono Project publishes two-year roadmap — Nov. 20, 2003 — Novell has released a roadmap for the Mono project, a community initiative to develop an open source version of Microsoft's .NET development platform. The roadmap specifies project milestones over the next two years. Also available is a discussion-level “Mono Hacking Roadmap” from Mono project originator Miguel de Icaza.
• Update on Mono — May 23, 2003 — An article published today at LinuxWorld.com provides an update on the status of the open source Mono project. The article briefly describes the functions that Mono will — and won't — provide, and includes comments from industry analysts as well as from Mono's project leader, Miguel de Icaza.
• A comparison of J2ME and the .NET compact framework — May 16, 2003 — Although written by a self-described “open source Java developer,” this technical article at JavaWorld.com attempts to provide a fair comparison between J2ME and the .NET compact framework. The author explores how to build GIS mobile clients using a mix of .NET Web services, J2EE, J2ME, and .NET Compact Framework technologies, using XML Web services to enable such a heterogeneous design.
• Does an organization have anything to gain from .NET? — Apr. 03, 2003 — This article at LinuxWorld.com seeks to answer the question, “Does an organization have anything to gain from .NET?” Topics covered include defining .NET and a host of acronyms associated with its services, considering the risks of starting down the .NET path, questioning the viability of .NET services as a business model, and a look at the Linux approach to .NET compatibility via the open source Mono project.
• Microsoft seeks patent on .NET APIs — Feb. 11, 2003 — An article at CNET points out that Microsoft is in the process of applying for a wide-ranging patent that covers a variety of functions related to its .Net initiative. CNET editor Lisa Bowman writes, “If approved as is, the patent would cover application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow actions related to accessing the network, handling Extensible Markup Language (XML), and managing data from multiple sources.”
• Mono trudges on with .NET alternative — Dec. 12, 2002 — IDG News Service editor Matt Berger offers a perspective and status update on Mono, the open source project to develop a .NET equivalent that runs on Linux.
• Guest editorial: Will open source lose the battle for the web? — Aug. 14, 2001 — This article argues that the shift towards web services has reduced the attractiveness of the current generation of Open Source web products. The only solution is for Open Source to adopt a web services architecture, and fast. Fortunately, there is one at hand, and it's not dotGNU! Can the Open Sourcers wake up and save the world before it is too late? Read on to find out.
• Gnome to be based on .NET — Feb. 01, 2002 — Writing at The Register, Andrew Orlowski asks: “How much do you love Microsoft's .NET? Enough to trust your Gnome applications to its APIs in the future?” Orlowski spoke with Gnome leader Miguel de Icaza at LinuxWorld, and learned that de Icaza feels that .NET has a lot to offer Gnome.
• Microsoft .Net goes back to the drawing board — May 13, 2002 — Mike Ricciuti of CNET News reports that according to Jim Allchin, Microsoft's senior vice president for Windows, Microsoft's .NET initiative is heading back to the 'drawing board' . . .
• Why .NET will conquer the world — Sep. 23, 2002 — In part 2 of a 3-part guest commentary at ZDNet, John Carroll chronicles the top reasons why he believes the .NET framework will emerge as the preeminent development paradigm . . .
• Mono Project's de Icaza to present at Open Source confab — Jul. 22, 2002 — Ximian, Inc. today announced that Miguel de Icaza, Ximian CTO, will be participating in the O'Reilly Open Source Convention to showcase new functionality related to the Mono Project. Specifically, de Icaza will demonstrate how Mono developers can use Linux to develop and run applications based on a number of .NET specifications, including ASP.NET and ADO.NET.
• Peeking Under the Lid of Open Source .NET CLI Implementations — Jun. 21, 2002 — Chris Preimesberger and Matt Liotta take a look at Mono, Rotor, and Portable .NET in this interview with key developers published at devX.com . . .
• de Icaza: Mono and GNOME. The long reply. — Feb. 06, 2002 — Miguel de Icaza has responded to a maelstrom of controversy generated by his recent comments about embracing (and extending) certain aspects of Microsoft's .NET architecture . . .
• Ximian changes Mono Project from GPL to MIT X11 licensing model — Jan. 28, 2002 — Ximian Inc. today announced a change in licensing by the Mono Project. With this change, the class libraries produced by Mono, an open source community initiative to deliver a Linux and UNIX compatible version of the Microsoft .NET development framework, will be released under the X11 software license, rather than the GNU General Public License (GPL).

• O'Reilly-published developer's guide to Mono — Aug. 13, 2004 — O'Reilly has published a book for developers interested in learning about the Mono development framework. “Mono: A Developer's Notebook,” by Edd Dumbill and Niel M. Bornstein, uses lab excercises, mini-projects and other task-oriented content to introduce programmers to the open source alternative to Microsoft's .NET framework.
• Mono 1.0 launches! — Jul. 1, 2004 — Novell today launched Mono 1.0, an open source development platform that aims to simplify Linux- and cross-platform application programming. Novell calls Mono “extremely usable” and “commercial-grade,” and hopes the technology will help companies that are moving to Linux build their applications more easily.
• Mono project achieves beta release, invites developer input — Cinco de Mayo, 2004 — The first opportunity for developers outside the Mono community to evaluate Mono.
• Mono project issues major bug fix release — Feb. 3, 2004 — The Mono project has released Mono 0.3.0, a bug fix release that closed some 1,397 bugs.
• DotGNU achieves CD release — Nov. 06, 2003 — DotGNU has made a CD release for version 0.1. The release now compiles on multiple platforms and supports web services and a PHP groupware suite, the group says.
• Mono (open source version of .NET) project releases version 0.25 — Jun. 27, 2003 — The Mono project announced yesterday that a new release, saying “This is a delicious release of Mono: so many new things have been improved, implemented, fixed, and tuned from the last release that it is hard to not be excited about it.”
• .NET Jabber SDK supports Mono and Linux — Dec. 17, 2002 — Winfessor has released the .NET Jabber SDK for Mono. the new SDK now lets .NET developers build cross platform instant messaging applications XMPP compliance that target Linux, Windows, Solaris, FreeBSD, Windows CE, and Windows Pocket PC 2002, and supports multiple character sets such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Italian.
• DotGNU Portable.NET 0.4.8 is released — Nov. 26, 2002 — An announcement from Rhys Weatherley of the DotGNU project about a new release notes, “Hooray! We are finally free of dependency upon third party C# tools. This is a big deal, as Portable.NET is now pure Free Software.
• KDE.org announces Qt support for Mono — Mar. 19, 2002 — KDE.org has announced Qt support for Mono. This marks the first step in developing an open source alternative to Microsoft's .NET . . .
• Mono Project aims to bring .Net to Linux — Nov. 02, 2001 — The open-source community, through Linux software development company Ximian, has embarked on a development effort to bring Microsoft's .Net platform to Linux. Called the Mono Project, this effort encompasses creating a development environment that will allow applications developed for .Net to run on Linux-based as well as Windows-based systems.
• FSF answers .NET with launch of DotGNU, GNU Mono — Jul. 09, 2001 — The Free Software Foundation announced today the launch of two Free Software projects, DotGNU and GNU Mono, that will replace Microsoft's .NET system. The DotGNU and Mono projects will cooperate to build a full Free Software solution.
• Mono Project to develop Linux/OSS version of .NET — Jul. 09, 2001 — Ximian, Inc. today announced the formation of the Mono Project, a community initiative to develop an open source, Linux-based version of the Microsoft .NET development platform.
• Open-source fans try to outflank .NET — Jul. 05, 2001 — Even as Microsoft touts the open availability of the underpinnings of its .Net initiative, open-source advocates are working to make sure .Net isn't a Microsoft-only technology.

 
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