Update: As raised as a possible explanation by myself in the IRC channel (I was deceived by others), Mono just moved to Git. Nonetheless, news about Mono and Moonlight has been extremely scarce for months, so the project clearly lost a lot of momentum.

Summary: Mono development is nearly non-existent over the past month or so

MONO AND MOONLIGHT begin to show early signs of death. Both Mono and Moonlight are hardly heard from anymore and lack of endorsement from the FSF (the FSF discourages use of C#) could not do much to help, could it? Based on SVN branches [1, 2], either the entire development team at Novell takes a massively long summer vacation or the project is radically de-emphasised. So the question is, what happens to those who depend on Mono in the long term? Novell is up for sale and Miguel de Icaza is busy cleaning their toilets instead of coding or even blogging. The Mono problem was discussed in IRC a short while ago (partial logs below). ⬆

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IRC: #techrights @ FreeNode: August 30th, 2010

Join us now at the IRC channel.

justin__	hey, looks like you guys might be right about mono project being dead	Aug 30 20:34
justin__	http://anonsvn.mono-project.com/viewvc/trunk/	Aug 30 20:34
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: [Mono] Index of /trunk .::. Size~: 54.05 KB	Aug 30 20:34
justin__	notice the dates	Aug 30 20:34
justin__	no activity on any module for weeks	Aug 30 20:34
gnufreex	I thought Mono uses Git?	Aug 30 20:35
justin__	looks like svn to me	Aug 30 20:35
justin__	http://www.mono-project.com/AnonSVN	Aug 30 20:35
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: AnonSVN - Mono .::. Size~: 10.11 KB	Aug 30 20:36
gnufreex	I see that there is no activity for years... maybe they switched to Git	Aug 30 20:36
gnufreex	Ah	Aug 30 20:36
gnufreex	Yes	Aug 30 20:36
justin__	some are only a few weeks of inactivity	Aug 30 20:36
gnufreex	You are right	Aug 30 20:36
gnufreex	Let's hope it is dead	Aug 30 20:36
gnufreex	Novell is firing people to stay profitable	Aug 30 20:36
justin__	might explain why there is so little news	Aug 30 20:36
justin__	about mono/moonlie	Aug 30 20:36
justin__	yea	Aug 30 20:37
justin__	they are going to be the next sco	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	Wait	Aug 30 20:37
gnufreex	Mono is just microsoft pet project, no outside contributors. Just Novell and Microsoft	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	I'm catching up here :-)	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	So was there an svn/git confusion?	Aug 30 20:37
gnufreex	And Microsoft is angry on Novell because VMware partnership	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	Or verified freeze?	Aug 30 20:37
-TRT/#techrights-[schestowitz] Comment in the #neckbeard troll http://ur1.ca/1e5jb "It would be better if you would make the wallpaper if you don’t like the default."		Aug 30 20:37
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: The joke that is Mavericks default wallpaper €« all wrongs reserved .::. Size~: 22.64 KB	Aug 30 20:37
justin__	verified	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	Maybe summer break?	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	Steadfast took some break iirc	Aug 30 20:37
justin__	http://www.mono-project.com/AnonSVN	Aug 30 20:37
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: AnonSVN - Mono .::. Size~: 10.11 KB	Aug 30 20:37
schestowitz	and the Microsoft MVP is having a baby	Aug 30 20:38
justin__	are they the only 2 guys working on mono?	Aug 30 20:38
gnufreex	De Icaza is one.	Aug 30 20:38
schestowitz	No-No	Aug 30 20:38
schestowitz	No	Aug 30 20:38
schestowitz	He's working on other parts of it, I think	Aug 30 20:38
gnufreex	schestowitz: I was wrong, Mono uses SVN	Aug 30 20:38
schestowitz	Joseph Hill or something leads in a neww	Aug 30 20:39
gnufreex	no git	Aug 30 20:39
schestowitz	Then there are mono trolls	Aug 30 20:39
schestowitz	Like Joseph Shields and some anonymous trolls who bully opposition	Aug 30 20:39
justin__	do they contribute tho?	Aug 30 20:39
justin__	or just trolls?	Aug 30 20:39
schestowitz	gnufreex: so it's dying?	Aug 30 20:39
schestowitz	I can recall something about git and mono	Aug 30 20:40
gnufreex	schestowitz: I hope	Aug 30 20:40
justin__	seems so	Aug 30 20:40
schestowitz	See Microsoft's blog (tirania)	Aug 30 20:40
gnufreex	schestowitz: Mono people wanted to put write Git addons in Mono	Aug 30 20:40
gnufreex	Git#	Aug 30 20:40
-TRT/#techrights-[glynmoody] Diaspora Clarifies: Open Source On September 15, Consumer Alpha In October - http://tcrn.ch/baGXEu good news #diaspora #socialnws		Aug 30 20:40
gnufreex	But nobody liked that	Aug 30 20:40
TechrightsBot-tr	Title:   Diaspora Clarifies: Open Source On September 15, Consumer Alpha In October  .::. Size~: 40.36 KB	Aug 30 20:40
gnufreex	They didn't really use Git, they wanted to kill it.	Aug 30 20:40
MinceR	well, we already have "git, only slower"	Aug 30 20:41
justin__	like they try to kill everything else	Aug 30 20:41
MinceR	it's called mercurial	Aug 30 20:41
MinceR	so there's no demand for git#	Aug 30 20:41
schestowitz	justin__: did you check inside dirs to see they don't code in another space?	Aug 30 20:41
FurnaceBoy	there's that guy who wrote git plugins for visual studio	Aug 30 20:41
justin__	schestowitz: yea	Aug 30 20:41
schestowitz	justin__: what URL to show it best?	Aug 30 20:42
schestowitz	http://anonsvn.mono-project.com/viewvc/trunk/ does not provide compelling proof	Aug 30 20:42
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: [Mono] Index of /trunk .::. Size~: 54.05 KB	Aug 30 20:42
schestowitz	I need a quick URL to validate with readers	Aug 30 20:42
gnufreex	http://anonsvn.mono-project.com/viewvc/	Aug 30 20:42
justin__	hmm	Aug 30 20:42
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: [Mono] Index of / .::. Size~: 4.58 KB	Aug 30 20:42
schestowitz	http://anonsvn.mono-project.com/viewvc/trunk/?sortby=date#dirlist	Aug 30 20:42
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: [Mono] Index of /trunk .::. Size~: 57.3 KB	Aug 30 20:43
justin__	yea, the toplevel is probably good	Aug 30 20:43
justin__	or could show http://anonsvn.mono-project.com/viewvc/trunk/mono/	Aug 30 20:43
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: [Mono] Index of /trunk/mono .::. Size~: 22.24 KB	Aug 30 20:43
gnufreex	Microsofties probably don't contribute anymore because Novell-VMware deal.	Aug 30 20:43
gnufreex	There goes 60% of work force	Aug 30 20:44
justin__	there was a vmware deal?	Aug 30 20:44
gnufreex	VMware distirbutes SUSE with ESX now	Aug 30 20:44
schestowitz	Yes	Aug 30 20:44
justin__	oh, I missed that	Aug 30 20:44
gnufreex	Microsoft is but hurted	Aug 30 20:44
schestowitz	Maybe vmware will buy novl	Aug 30 20:44
justin__	maybe all the mono people got fired	Aug 30 20:45
justin__	probably not de icaza tho	Aug 30 20:45
schestowitz	No	Aug 30 20:45
gnufreex	schestowitz: I hope not.	Aug 30 20:45
schestowitz	But de Icaza cleans bathrooms at Novell now	Aug 30 20:45
gnufreex	I would like Red Hat to buy them. And then Army Man to make De Icaza clean toilets.	Aug 30 20:46
schestowitz	http://abock.org/2010/08/06/real-american-heroes-toilet-trouble	Aug 30 20:46
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Real American Heroes: Toilet Trouble €« Aaron Bockover .::. Size~: 32.54 KB	Aug 30 20:46
-TRT/#techrights-[slashdot] NIH Orders Halt To Embryonic Stem Cell Research http://bit.ly/a2JKE9		Aug 30 20:46
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Slashdot Science Story | NIH Orders Halt To Embryonic Stem Cell Research .::. Size~: 50.8 KB	Aug 30 20:46
gnufreex	Hehe.	Aug 30 20:48
gnufreex	What he does in toilet. It has noting to do with Microsoft... oh wait	Aug 30 20:49
gnufreex	I just now got why Bill Gates named compney MicroSoft	Aug 30 20:49
gnufreex	after his weenie	Aug 30 20:49
justin__	lol, de icaza got demoted to toilet cleaner	Aug 30 20:50
justin__	haha	Aug 30 20:50
gnufreex	He even look like Microsoftie now.	Aug 30 20:52
gnufreex	He looked less Micrsofotish before.	Aug 30 20:52
-TRT/#techrights-[linuxtoday] How to make a Cosmic Wallpaper in GIMP: Scott Photographics: "This tutorial will hopefully help inspire you to cre... http://bit.ly/bKomuu		Aug 30 20:52
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Linux Today - How to make a Cosmic Wallpaper in GIMP .::. Size~: 76.63 KB	Aug 30 20:52
cubevector	Microsoft Toilet Paper	Aug 30 20:53
cubevector	it could happen	Aug 30 20:53
ThistleWeb	I wouldnt be surprised if they had staff toilet rolls with logos of like google, or tux on it	Aug 30 20:54
ThistleWeb	on each sheet	Aug 30 20:54
-TRT/#techrights-[glynmoody] In Defense of Links, Part One: Nick Carr, hypertext and delinkification - http://bit.ly/asKV1i debunking of Mr Carr's crypto-transclusionism		Aug 30 20:55
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: In Defense of Links, Part One: Nick Carr, hypertext and delinkification — Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard .::. Size~: 45.07 KB	Aug 30 20:55
justin__	mono guys are such losers	Aug 30 20:56
justin__	they should have given up long ago	Aug 30 20:56
justin__	and not even bothered to try	Aug 30 20:56
justin__	hopefully now canonical will give up on mono too	Aug 30 20:57
gnufreex	justin__: I had no problem with them writting Mono. I am pissed at Mono because MonoDudes don't know their place. It is only so we can say every language can run on Linux. It is stupid to write software with it. It is stupid to try and make it default language for GNU / Linux	Aug 30 20:59
gnufreex	ANd they are trying just that.	Aug 30 20:59
gnufreex	They are doing Mono just despite FSF and to piss people they call "zealots"	Aug 30 21:00
gnufreex	And to advance Microsoft agenda, of course.	Aug 30 21:00
gnufreex	Place of Mono is same as place for Wine. Out of default install	Aug 30 21:00
gnufreex	And Wine is not used to write free software.	Aug 30 21:01
justin__	yea, they totally didn't know their place	Aug 30 21:01
-TRT/#techrights-[ffii] Who would dare to speak of trolls? http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/paul-allen-is-no-patent-troll/2360 #swpat		Aug 30 21:01
-TRT/#techrights-[techdirt] Hulu: We Know That Hulu Plus Sucks, But It's Not Our Fault http://dlvr.it/4SkrX		Aug 30 21:01
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Paul Allen is no patent troll | ZDNet  .::. Size~: 144.61 KB	Aug 30 21:01
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Hulu: We Know That Hulu Plus Sucks, But It's Not Our Fault | Techdirt .::. Size~: 21.26 KB	Aug 30 21:01
justin__	gnufreex imo, monodudes were never very intelligent	Aug 30 21:02
justin__	probably got rejected from every other project	Aug 30 21:02
gnufreex	Well, I think they are inteligent. But they use their brains to help Microsoft. They are not friends of FOSS.	Aug 30 21:03
gnufreex	They got rejected from other projects because they Microsfotish tendencies, They want to make GNU/Linux a cheap clone of Winodws.	Aug 30 21:04
justin__	yea	Aug 30 21:04
gnufreex	I am not saying all Mono advocates are like that. Just the main ones. And they set other on wrong track.	Aug 30 21:04
gnufreex	*others	Aug 30 21:04
MinceR	de icaza wrote at least one good program	Aug 30 21:05
MinceR	but apparently he's more interested in serving m$	Aug 30 21:05
justin__	mincer: what?	Aug 30 21:05
MinceR	gnumeric	Aug 30 21:05
gnufreex	He wrote Gnumeric?	Aug 30 21:05
justin__	I get the feeling he didn't really even write that	Aug 30 21:05
MinceR	he wrote the original version, apparently	Aug 30 21:05
justin__	probably just took credit for it	Aug 30 21:05
gnufreex	I think Stallman started writing that.	Aug 30 21:05
MinceR	dunno	Aug 30 21:05
MinceR	wikipedia says he's the original author	Aug 30 21:06
gnufreex	And then some of Emacs crew finished	Aug 30 21:06
justin__	mono trolls are on wikipedia though	Aug 30 21:06
justin__	so you can't trust it	Aug 30 21:06
MinceR	ic	Aug 30 21:06
MinceR	old versions of the changelog are gone from gnumeric.org	Aug 30 21:07
gnufreex	De Icaza didn't start GNOME either. He only set himself on right place to get credits. If FSF didn't fund GNOME, it would be nothing.	Aug 30 21:07
gnufreex	Originaly, GNU project tried twice to write LISP GUI. And both times they were distracted by some fork. First XEmacs, then EGGC. Then GNOME was third attempt when non-free KDE took off.	Aug 30 21:09
justin__	yep	Aug 30 21:09
justin__	and miguel was just there to steal the credits	Aug 30 21:09
gnufreex	http://stallman.org/articles/xemacs.origin	Aug 30 21:10
MinceR	first commits show no trace of de icaza	Aug 30 21:10
MinceR	http://git.gnome.org/browse/gnumeric/log/?ofs=18150	Aug 30 21:10
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Not a web page! Aborting text/plain type .::. Size~: 0 KB	Aug 30 21:10
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: gnumeric - The Gnome Office Spreadsheet - Free, Fast, Accurate: Pick any 3! .::. Size~: 17.61 KB	Aug 30 21:10
gnufreex	Here is what Stallman said on XEmacs	Aug 30 21:10
MinceR	wait	Aug 30 21:10
schestowitz	[20:50] <justin__> lol, de icaza got demoted to toilet cleaner	Aug 30 21:10
schestowitz	Maybe Novell cut more staff	Aug 30 21:10
MinceR	oh, right	Aug 30 21:10
schestowitz	Including wardens and cleaners	Aug 30 21:11
schestowitz	So they assigned a contigent	Aug 30 21:11
schestowitz	"The guy who deals with all the ***t"	Aug 30 21:11
gnufreex	rofL	Aug 30 21:11
justin__	lol	Aug 30 21:11
MinceR	like mono? :>	Aug 30 21:12
justin__	mono is a 4 letter word	Aug 30 21:13
justin__	is jono aka jono bacon?	Aug 30 21:14
justin__	just noticed him in the user list	Aug 30 21:15
justin__	well, guys it's been fun but I need to get going	Aug 30 21:16
justin__	keep on fighting the good fight getting rid of trolls like de icaza and his friends	Aug 30 21:17
justin__	you guys make the world a better place	Aug 30 21:17
-TRIdentica/#techrights-[diablod3/@diablod3] Christian Church lends building to Muslims while construction of Mosque continues; Jesus clearly approves of this http://u.nu/2h62f		Aug 30 21:17
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Cordova Christians put out welcome mat for new mosque €» The Commercial Appeal .::. Size~: 176.45 KB	Aug 30 21:18
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