[Mono-list] mono newbie question - running mono on Linux

[Michael Szul]

I've briefly followed all the .Net hype since it first started
leaking out as more than just vaporware, and honestly saw it as
nothing more than Microsoft's way of ripping off Java, stealing
web service development from Java developers, and ultimately
trying to lock in every programmer in the world to their system
regardless of what language they program in.

Then I heard of Mono and basically saw it as everything that .Net
should be (all the promise AND not owned by Gates).

I already started to brush up on C# (just in case this stuff
becomes a hit), and for a Java programmer, it's relatively easy
to pick up.

I decide I wanted to get in early on the Mono / C# development
cycle for Linux and try to put together some programs, but I'm a
little confused about what I find on the download site.

It seems to say that I need a Windows machine, Cygwin, and
Microsoft's .Net SDK in order to compile Mono.

I don't understand? I need to compile Mono on a Window's machine
and then port it to my Linux box? What's going on here? I just
want mono and mcs to run on my Linux desktop and laptop so that I
can try to develop some programs. How come Windows is required?

Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks.

Michael