Miguel de Icaza, Microsoft MVP
Will we now hear The H’s author decried as a “zealot” or ”fearmongerer” for pointing out de Icaza’s obsession with emulating and promoting Microsoft technologies? Or, perhaps, a word of apology for painting RMS in such lights for his equivalent statement?
I suspect the latter shall not happen, though some may call me a cynic.Moonlight can be used, at least in the short term, if you have obtained your software through Novell. Otherwise, you are cast adrift in a no man’s land where it is not always apparent what is permissible and what is not.Even though I think the author is too kind here, I am also pleased that he is not merely parroting the (failed) attempt by Team Moonlight to pretend that the new “Covenant” is some sort of improvement over the old – which was downright offensive in the first place.
[...]
[T]he Mono developers have appeared to gain strength and unity from adversity and see themselves as united against the rest of the world.This is the most brilliant insight of the article, and it articulates something I have long found fascinating. Team Mono has a core of supporters that are simply not interested in the truth or discussion. They will adopt (and endlessly repeat) any argument that they think supports their cause, and they will immediately dismiss any argument with any means that they think supports their opposition.
Miguel de Icaza, Microsoft MVP?
Yep, it’s true. The open-source rabble-rouser who was prevented from hosting a session inside Microsoft’s 2005 Professional Developer Conference has been accepted into the ranks of the company’s “Most Valuable Professionals” less than five years later. He announced the news on his blog.
De Icaza is the leader of the open-source Mono project, sponsored by Novell, which previously set off alarm bells inside Microsoft for its ability to expand Microsoft .NET applications to other platforms, including Linux. Relations between de Icaza and Microsoft have warmed following the Redmond company’s partnership with Novell.
He’s also on the board of the Microsoft-supported CodePlex Foundation, Meanwhile, Mono spin-off project Moonlight, an open-source implementation of Microsoft’s Silverlight interactive technology, has won the blessings of the Redmond company.
--Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO
Comments
TheTruth
2010-01-21 00:22:11
It's FUNNY (in a pathetic kind of way) that ive read the GPLv2 and GPLv3 and nowhere have I seen in it that Microsoft or ANY other company is not allowed to contribute to the GPL as long as they comply with the terms of that license.
Even a non-GPL free license, does not restrict any company from contributing, so why is it hard for you to understand that simple FACT,,, ROY.
DO you need it explained to you by someone, draw you a picture. Is you're level of understanding that low ?
Oh thats right, you dont contribute code at all, so you dont need to understand the GPL you just have to parrot you're hate talk, and show you're never ending loves and adoration to Stallman.
So show me where in the GPL is says MS is not allowed to contribute, or any individual, or group ?
Just because YOU dont like a group, or person, does not mean the community feels the same way, and has nothing to do with the progress of FOSS, it's all about a way for you to deliver you're hate talk, and propaganda.
At least no one cares about you're bile and hate, and it's ok that you will remain a joke of oss.
and someone willing to damage oss for you're own ego trip.
powered_by_tux
2010-01-21 16:44:42
Nobody is excluded from complying with the GPLv2 or v3, not even Microsoft. In fact, there would be a lot less of trouble if projects such as Mono would be put under the v3 license as that would rule out the nebulous patent threat. But Microsoft will not do that since it means giving up control of their projects.
Since you were also asking how Microsoft is excluded from using the GPL, then have a look here: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/rms-why-gplv3.html While not really excluding anyone, a mayor intention of the v3 is to prevent using patent threats to collect royalties for using GPLed software which MS/Novell are actively doing right now. But since Microsoft is not out to do this and just wants to help the dear FOSS developers writing better software on Linux with totally no bad intentions at all, why aren't they embracing the GPLv3?
Well, the rest of your post is your personal notionI beg to differ by stating that I DO care what Roy has to tell. Certainly, anybody may have a different position on this. Now, I'm expecting to get flamed as well.
Dennis Murczak
2010-01-21 19:05:11
Most importantly, why do you call him a joke while acting like a clown? A very awkward thing to do if you like to be taken serious.
Roy Schestowitz
2010-01-21 21:41:36
By the way, he hates Linux and Free software.
JohnD
2010-01-22 05:10:19
NotZed
2010-01-22 06:17:26
It isn't just the time, it just isn't needed, nobody is interested outside of a few small ISV shops and a bunch of guys paid to work on it.
"What I haven’t really seen from BN supporters is the understanding of just how much money a corporation invests in a platform."
Well, time will weed these companies out - they are intentionally putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage if they are spending so much money locking themselves in. It might take while and do a lot of damage in the mean time though.
I mean how stupid is it to invest in this 'massive expenditure' when they are relying on the good-will of another company which almost certainly not have their best interests in mind?
What you're describing there is 'vendor lock-in', which is costly way of doing business, and one that only `works' whilst everyone is paying the rentiers (it's not a tax, it's a private pay-to-play rent). Damn the massive cost to society in lost productivity and extracted rent in the meantime.
As soon as someone can escape the rentiers this business model is toast - which we are in the midst of right now - which is why there're throwing everything behind patents and ACTA and the like to make sure they prevent this progress.
Free isn't about the price, it's about the freedom, and you provided a perfect example of just why it is so much more important than just 'open source' (== free developers ).
As for CEO's - well come on, if any CEO is interesting in anything other than their own hip pocket nerve, i'd be mightily impressed. Make a fast buck stealing shareholder profits, go on a few junkets, jump ship with a golden parachute. They stick with microsoft or oracle because they get to go to the cricket or rugby and get free drinks at 'conferences' - they really don't give a shit what the poor plebs on the floor are using, so long as they get some personal kickbacks. Microsoft isn't about developers, it's about bribing the ones who spend the real money - and well, that's one thing they can be admired for executing on (revolting as it is).
your_friend
2010-01-22 07:07:30
People should use java and other mature but free tools. You keep going in circles around this. If it's not to promote mono, what are you doing?
JohnD
2010-01-22 14:24:18
your_friend
2010-01-22 15:31:42
JohnD
2010-01-22 17:19:26
your_friend
2010-01-23 05:08:39
This technical suckdom, legal and technical sabotage, are the source of the condescention, perhaps hostility, you see from people who have had enough. Those who know better don't want to sit through mono promotions.
It's time to give up mono. I admire and respect the technical ability of the mono developers, but think their talent is horribly wasted. I do not admire or respect .NET users who are too lazy to learn more portable languages. The move to .NET, from what I've seen, has always been some kind of top down driven stupidity. I pity those caught up in it but implore them to do better for themselves. GNU/Linux jobs are hot right now and will be for the forseeable future as Microsoft continues to implode.
JohnD
2010-01-23 16:04:12
your_friend
2010-01-22 07:04:31
JohnD
2010-01-22 14:12:00
your_friend
2010-01-22 15:19:50
People here at BN only point these things out and warn people not to make new code or otherwise depend on Mono. There's no point at all in making a new photo manipulation tool, for example, in a language that only barely works and is loaded with patent threats. It's even more foolish to replace free software success stories like GIMP with mono built software.
JohnD
2010-01-22 17:15:26
clayclamp
2010-01-22 18:59:17
Can you qualify this, please. It seems a mighty big statement coming from someone who has admitted in the past (I believe) that he's not a developer.
I don't have an issue with the patent FUD you people spread around Mono, although I disagree with it. But _technical_ claims like those should be backed up with some evidence. Since none of you seem to be developers, maybe you can get someone else to back up the "barely works" part. That would be acceptable as well.
NotZed
2010-01-22 04:56:28
Perhaps he does - but I really can't believe someone could be so naive (still). I would be curious if there was a single case-study where a significant deployment of was moved from .NET to mono on linux desktops (starting on mono doesn't count).
Initially it was all about leveraging a 'great platform' for GNU/Linux application development, but it seems it has just turned into 'cloning .net'. As everyone with half a brain always realised it would.
This is a losing strategy. If anything all it does is re-enforces the whole "linux == hobbyist toy" mentality. Yes you can play on linux if you want, but when you've ready to grow up it's time to move to the real thing.
I know a couple of c-hash devs, and they suffer no illusions - mono is always behind, incomplete, and simply not worth their time.
Bertrand
2010-01-21 19:24:34
ECMA CLI is the Common Language Infrastructure standard, accepted by the ECMA organization (http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-335.htm). It's the basis of the .NET platform.
I think what Miguel has in mind is a scenario like this : A developer who only created great applications for the Windows platform learns that a MVP says that applications written in C# could run on Linux. The MVP even provides a tool to help identify issues with porting (http://mono-project.com/Moma). This developer does a little work to fix these issues, if any, then install Linux to test his application, realizes it's a great OS and becomes a fan of Free Software.
your_friend
2010-01-21 21:02:40
Bertrand
2010-01-22 07:12:43
I think translating in a different language is a bit more than "a little work".
Roy Schestowitz
2010-01-21 21:38:45
Bertrand
2010-01-22 07:21:18
Personally, I'm a counter-example of that : I'm a FLOSS contributor and developer thanks mostly to the existence of Mono.
JohnD
2010-01-22 01:24:44
Roy Schestowitz
2010-01-22 01:32:33
Another excellent example is Apache.
Dennis Murczak
2010-01-22 01:48:00
Regarding FOSS as a power in the industry, you will find that Linux and the accompanying software ecosystem is pretty much standard when you look at the whole market for computing devices, not just the old-fashioned desktop niche.
JohnD
2010-01-22 01:59:42
Dennis Murczak
2010-01-22 02:09:03
JohnD
2010-01-22 02:24:45
your_friend
2010-01-22 04:03:54
Mono is a half measure that appeals to neither practical people nor idealists. If you don't care about software freedom, buy a copy of Vista and quit worrying about mono. The practical results of software freedom are equally apparent. If you care about performance or freedom, get yourself a nice GNU/Linux distribution and forget all about mono. C, C++, Java and other free languages fill everyone's need for cross platform and RAD programming.
JohnD
2010-01-22 04:32:38
Roy Schestowitz
2010-01-22 04:39:54
verofakto
2010-01-22 06:48:11
It would be a shame for him to find out through other channels - after all, you have claimed in the past that you 'loathe' people who use multiple accounts.
your_friend
2010-01-22 06:56:47
No, you lose your freedom when you surrender it or have it taken from you. Non free software owners seek to remove freedom by force and have people believe they surrendered it freely. Many of the forceful means are already crimes and reducing that kind of "freedom" is the job of the criminal justice system. There are many restrictions on the use and sharing of Mono components, those who agree to those restrictions have less freedom than those who make more reasonable language choices.
Mono is a case of throwing good time after bad. Windows developers who are interested in software freedom should move to free software platforms and learn free languages. It takes less time, works better and leaves Microsoft where Microsoft belongs. It is nice to have frameworks for legacy code, but developing new applications in mono is a waste of time. As Microsoft collapses, it's time for people to admit they bet on the wrong horse for the wrong reasons and learn the hard lesson of their mistakes. People who try to export non free software models onto free software are doomed to the same dissapointments seen in the non free Unix and Windows worlds.
JohnD
2010-01-22 17:28:21
Mikko
2010-01-22 17:48:37