Mono Ships ASP.NET Server

Slashdot ^ | December 10, @01:28AM | Unknown

[Bush2000]

Mono Ships ASP.NET Server

Miguel de Icaza writes: "We have just released the new version of Mono the new version includes a working version of ASP.NET. The release includes a sample web server that "hosts" the ASP.NET runtime (it can be hosted anywhere, for instance in Apache, with mod_haydn). The web features of ASP.NET would not be very useful without the support of a backing database. The new version of Mono includes database providers for Oracle, MS SQL, Sybase, ODBC, OleDB, Gnome Data Access, SqLite, MySQL and of course, Postgres. The C# compiler is now 37% faster due to some nice optimizations on the JIT engine and in our class libraries. You can use it to develop GUI applications using Gtk#. Screenshots for mPhoto and the GUI debugger (which can debug both JITed apps and native applications). "

[Bush2000]

More than anyone, you should get a kick out of this.

.NET ... it isn't just for Microsoft anymore ...

[BuddhaBoy]

I was reading about this on Slashdot this morning, a very rousing discussion going on.

It actually appears that the majority of slashdotters have recognized the fact that ASP.NET with either C# or VB.NET codebehind is the coolest thing out there.

Mono is going to have a problem with WinForms though, that is one technology that they are going to have a very difficult time reproducing without stepping on Microsoft's IP.

If they can do it, it is just another nail in the Java/J2EE coffin, if you ask me.

[Bush2000]

Agree on most of your points.

If Mono gets traction (which I expect it will, since that community likes jabbing sticks in MS's eyes), it would actually help .NET achieve dominance over Java/J2EE; especially in light of the fact that the CLR is an open standard with ECMA (http://www.dotnetexperts.com/ecma/)

Not sure about the WinForms issue. What IP claims do you think that Mono would have to violate?

[BuddhaBoy]

Some of the WinForms components; Buttons, Text Boxes, etc, use pieces of the Win32API in their construction and size controls on the server-side html generation. That functionality will have to be rebuilt or they risk Microsoft coming down on them with a licence fee on every Mono server that serves up .aspx pages.

[HamiltonJay]

Well, since I've been using Apache since 94 and Jakarta Tomcat since it came out, and Jserve/jrun etc before that, as well as Iplanet, Weblogic and ATG and even some Websphere.... for ages.. no skin of my nose.

But it does prove once more that opensource conquers all...

[Incorrigible]

Wow! I wish I had more time but that is an interesting thread going on at /.

Not the usual shrieking.

[wildbill]

WOW! How Exciting! I'm sure some of you can understand this.

[Bush2000]

.NET and ASP.NET are technologies from Microsoft that let you build web and desktop applications in "managed" computer languages like C#. The applications are "managed" in the sense that they run within a virtual machine, in much the same way that Java runs within its own virtual machine.

.NET (http://www.microsoft.com/net/) defines an application program interface (API) that makes it easy to create these kinds of applications. Microsoft owns the source code to .NET, it runs only on Windows and BSD Unix, and Microsoft is only revealing some of the source code -- to educators for non-commercial use (see Rotor).

The "Mono" project is an effort by open source developers to replicate the .NET architecture in a cross-platform manner so that it runs not only on Windows but on Linux, Mac, etc.

[Bush2000]

So when is Microsoft going to either sign over its patents to a not-for-profit or sign a contract with the Ximian guaranteeing that as long as the Mono:: project doesn't use any Microsoft code that it will be fully immune from patent lawsuits from Microsoft and its subsidiaries?

Patents (both pending and registered) are in the public record. Which patents are you referring to?

[PatrioticAmerican]

In a strange way .NET is far more open source oriented than Java ever will be. With Longhorn to debut sometime perhaps next year, Microsoft certainly is suprising the industry.