[Mono-list] what's with all this Windows stuff?

[Thomas F. Burdick]

Tobias DiPasquale writes:
 > So here I am trying to compile the class libraries for Mono on my Linux 
 > box, and I come to find that it's not implemented yet. I was wondering 
 > why it was the Ximian developers would be so far behind on the UNIX 
 > front, when Mono was created specifically for the GNU/Linux crowd? 

Right now MS makes the only usable development environment for .NET.
Imagine writing a C development environment in a world that has only
one working implementation: you need to bootstrap off that one.  The
Mono C# compiler is written in C#, and so needs the class library to
work.  There is currently no GC.  These are major obstacles to having
a self-sufficient Mono.  On the other hand, so far as I am aware,
priority is being given to the goal of getting Mono "working" (in
quotes so as not to be confused with normal definitions of the word
:).  A relatively full system will be needed before the compiler will
run on Mono -- and it's not generating code yet.  So, it'll be a while
before Mono will be able to host its own developent, but that's
necessary in the early stages of these sorts of projects.

 > Is there a plan to fix this soon, because otherwise, to use .NET,
 > we need to run Windows, and I think we all know that that's not
 > going to happen.  Let us know what's up over there. Thanks.

Actually, I've installed NT just for this purpose.  If you want to get
your hands dirty soon, I'd suggest you do the same.  Otherwise, be
patient, and know that it'll be hackable from linux as soon as
possible.