[Mono-dev] crn.com: »Sources: Microsoft In Talks To Acquire Mobile App Development Startup Xamarin«

[theUser BL]

> Yeah, maybe I panicked a little. Still, I think it would be a bad
> thing for mono (in free software terms),

Depends on, how Microsoft plans the future.
I see three possibilities after acquiring Xamarin :

1. Letting Xamarin still an independent part. And so working on Mono _and_ .NET.
But I think, that makes no sence for Microsoft. Working on two different implementations of the same API. And on two C#-Compilers, where only the license differs.

2. Stop developing on Mono and only working on its non-OpenSource .NET
In this case, Microsoft would lost his last good reputation in the OpenSource .NET community.

3. Merge the Mono and .NET development and bring it out under the same license as Mono.
In this case, Microsoft wins fans in the OpenSource-community. It would show, that the new CEO goes an other direction, then Ballmer.
And Microsoft losts nothing. Currently the source of  .NET is published
http://referencesource.microsoft.com/
but under an license, where you have only the right to look at it, but not to change it.

With this step Microsoft would going an similar way like Java.
The first times existing Suns Java and a lot of Virtual Machines with GNU Classpath. And GNU Classpath and Sun Java classes wasn't nearly 100% compatible.
But with OpenJDK, the used free JVM is that of OpenJDK. Because OpenJDK/IcedTea and Oracles JDK are in over 90% the same source code, they are really more compatible, then Suns Java nd GNU Classpath ever where.

Greatings
theuserbl