[Mono-devel-list] Sitting on the fence

[Eron Lloyd]

Hi all,

I'm a long-time Python guy that's working on a new project that has a target 
of being a cross-platform library with desktop and Web frontends. I was 
originally using Python and Qt, but it is very important to be able to deploy 
it on Windows (easily, and without needing the commercial license for Qt), 
especially for testing. I'm messing with Java now, but even with J2SE 1.5, 
there are wacky quirks that trip me up or just make me wish for the ease of 
Python again. I keep being drawn to Mono/.NET, and I know how awesome and 
with it you guys are compared to Sun. Could anyone answer the following for 
me?

1. I need a Swing replacement. Is the new managed SWF exactly what I'm looking 
for?

2. I need a JSP-type solution (I know nothing comes close to Zope). What is 
mono's Web application strategy? As far as I know, ASP.NET isn't protected by 
the ECMA, is it? Also, ASP.NET is SO Win-centric, whereas JSP is much more 
open.

3. Java WebStart/embedding applets is VERY appealing. Is there a way to do 
this just as easily (in a cross-platform way) in Mono?

Any insight into these would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!

Eron