[Mono-list] Philosophical Question - Why .NET on UNIX?

[Robert Jordan]

mike montagne wrote:
> 
> If the members don't mind, I'd like to ask the forum a question or two. I come 
> from a Delphi and C++Builder background, and was long a holdout on .Net because 
> of severe performance doubts. Now that I have been working in .Net/Windows, the 
> performance concerns have proven so obstructive to achieving acceptable 
> performance standards that the principal work I intended cannot be carried out 
> in .Net. I also have great concerns about the real security of .Net 
> implementations (which make me question why anyone would ever want .Net to run 
> on UNIX systems).

Security is just one aspect of .NET. Incidentally one that isn't even
(completely) implemented in Mono.

> If C# compiled into native Linux and OS X executables (of course, relying on 
> supported libraries), I would be a happy camper. But as this is not the case, 
> this is my question:

A JIT compiler like Mono is generating native code per definition.
The only difference to native binaries is the lack of those ;-)

> Given the presence of X Windows (and the ability to write X Windows with the 
> free tools bundled with OS X), why sacrifice speed and require the overhead of 
> the extra operating environment on UNIX systems?

Mono is using these native libraries.

> Personally, I don't buy the "easy distribution/installation" arguments, nor the 
> security claims. Delphi and C++Builder ran as fast as native C++, and 

Nobody sells you these claims, so there is no need to buy them.

BTW, do your C++Builder and Delphi executables run unchanged on Unix
and Windows? Is Kylix still supported? Does it run on, say, Solaris
or Linux/AMD64 or MacOS/PPC? No way.

Robert