[Mono-list] some mono thoughts

[Michael E. Isbell]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------020509060106050801020006
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

So, about 20-30 HP programmers are currently employed full time 
developing Mono, which explains why they've almost achieved 2.0. Also, 
they don't have to develop Visual Studio.

And I'm thinking of moving the Winforms stuff for my current project to 
GTK#. I mean, why not? GTK # is far more powerful, and it's cross 
platform. And it works great with Visual Studio. and with tweaking it'll 
run on OSX.

What's happening with this stuff reminds me of databases. Why do people 
use Sybase, Oracle, etc? Corporate thinking - someone's got to take 
final responsibility for the product. Companies like companies. They're 
leery of open source. Fact is, Oracle etc. capabilities are needed for 
maybe 5% ... MAYBE ... of the total DB transactions out there. Maybe.

So now Mono is/will be supplying 95% of server-side .Net capability. So 
will MS now be playing the 5% game? Yes, on the server side. Whatever 
really new stuff they can provide will give someone an edge, MAYBE. 5% 
of the market on that, though, is probably optimistic. Very. Remember, 
this is in a moderate to down economy. Cheapest of the cheap servers are 
not just good right now they're VERY good.

On the GUI side -  I'm personally still more comfortable using a GUI 
that's married to the underlying platform, but that might be because I'm 
stupid and old.

Which means the MS edge is the IDE - and that completes the thought 
that's eating at me since last night...

...MS has become Borland as far as tools go. Which from the developer 
POV is great. Not so great from the MS POV.

Mono will, IMO, make the server wars practically impossible for them to 
win. Unless the new technology they have, WinFS, making everything a 
database, has some real market value, other than being really neato. 
Unless Indigo provides such an edge with SOA. Avalon is GUI stuff and 
that MIGHT save them on the desktop...

...but Apple smells blood in the water. Cheap Apple box doing Cocoa# 
(which already exists) and QT# (which already exists) and running Mono? 
Who needs an MS desktop?

All of which goes to say .Net IS the computer. Make no mistake. Java is 
a total freaking mess at this point. is outdated in its syntax and is 
most realistically regarded as a beta for C# and .Net. Yeah, it'll be 
around forever: so what? Always look at the programmers - the ones I 
know can't WAIT to escape the miserable job of programming in Java. The 
idea that Java was the new COBOL was meant to be a compliment: it's 
become a curse.

M

--------------020509060106050801020006
Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=utf-8;
 name="michael.isbell.vcf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: attachment;
 filename="michael.isbell.vcf"

begin:vcard
fn:Michael Isbell
n:Isbell;Michael
email;internet:michael.isbell@gmail.com
tel;fax:425 484 6073
tel;home:212 380 1241
tel;cell:917 921 8613
x-mozilla-html:TRUE
version:2.1
end:vcard


--------------020509060106050801020006--