[Mono-list] ASP.NET, mod_mono, Apache

[Daniel Lopez]

Hi!

> processes, not nuts and bolts development. I think there's a place for
> people like me, but so far the focus of the Mono project has _been_ on the
> nuts and bolts. That will very likely continue for awhile.

Mono is still a work in progress, the focus will be in the nuts and bolts
for a while. Large parts of the framework have already been implemented
and can be useful, but it is not at a stage where it focus on the user
friendly side of things.

> -          Is it possible to make the ASP.NET/Apache installation very fool
> proof? I have found some typically rough install guides, but they only
> mention Apache 2. I still run Apache 1.3 because I have many users on my
> linux server and they've lobbied against Apache 2. So my request would be
> that mod_mono have very clear, foolproof instructions or packages that work
> with the latest official releases of Apache (1.3.27 and 2). The idea is that
> someone like me (a business type developer with some knowledge of DEB's and
> RPM's) could execute an install and have a sample website running
> automatically. Samples for web forms in this installation would be
> extraordinarily helpful.

There's already an rpm module for Apache 2, for Red Hat 8, that includes
sample pages, etc.  We look forward to contributions of .deb packages or
other formats.
Modules developed for Apache 2 are not compatible with Apache 1.3
I plan to support Apache 1.3 in the future but the current focus is on
Apache 2, because of the better support for threading and Windows.
You can always keep a copy of Apache 2 running in paralell with your Apache
1.3 (either different port or using a reverse proxy)

> I have played with the Mono testing web server, but
> I think mod_mono is really the killer app that needs to be pushed for people
> like myself. Maybe there should be an automatically installed test website
> under Apache that runs as localhost/monotest or something. I could help in
> this are if you think it's a good idea.

It's already there, when you install the RPM (and restart apache) you can
find teh XSP samples in
http://localhost/mono/index.aspx
I have read somewhere that the current ASP.NET implementation can run
Microsoft petstore-like sample application (IBuySpy?)


> I promise to work on testing things and reporting issues in the near future.
> My focus is really from a business perspective (again). How can I write a
> very typical presentation tier, business tier, and data tier in Mono
> connected to a PostgreSQL or MySQL database? Well, I know how to write the
> code in .NET and I know all the voodoo of .NET on IIS 5/6. I want to do
> whatever it takes to help Mono start showing _real_ examples of this in
> Linux/Apache. So the most important namespaces are System.Data,
> System.Data.MySqlClient, System.Xml (less so), System.Web.UI.WebControls,
> System.Web.UI.HtmlControls, and System.Collections. I'm sure I'm forgetting
> something.

I think the best way to proceed is to start programming or porting your
ASP.NET applications, and when you run into functionality that has not been
implemented, implement it and submit a patch to incorporate it in Mono.
Documentation writing and well documented bug reports thru the bug tracking
system are also welcome.

Cheers

Daniel