Bonum Certa Men Certa

Studying Novell's Plans and Direction with Mono

The latest developments in a Novell/Microsoft pet project

As Mono continues to evolve, solid convergence with Windows programs (or at least API/SDK) seems like a matter of time. With the release of Mono 1.2.5, there are some new features that help bridge the existing gap.

Mono 1.2.5 reflects the rapid pace at which Mono is evolving. With strong support for C# 3.0 and IronPython, Mono is clearly a robust and versatile platform for open source software development.


This short article from Ars Technica also talks about Novell's focus on Mono. Novell chooses Mono-based applications for the GNOME desktop which it develops. This is strategic, it's not a side effect.

Our intention was never to invoke a heated discussion, personal attacks, and flamewars. This has always been a controversial topic (so one is likely to have an "unpopular assessment"), yet speaking about honestly doesn't make it all wrong. Mono needs to be understood, not disliked. We try to piece together its implications w.r.t. patents, programmers' direction, and a plethora of other factors. Mono is going to affect Linux a great deal if Novell continues with its current direction. Ranting won't help. If you wish to see a rant, look no further than Sam, who dislikes many things including Solaris, Ubuntu, the Novell/Micrososft deal and.... GNOME.

Hence, in the midst of the celebrations, it's good for the promoters of GNOME to stop and think what might have been if they had joined hands with KDE and moved forward in a cooperative manner. It is good to bear in mind that one of the men who started the project claiming that he wanted to provide "free software" is today tailgating APIs from Microsoft.


To re-emphasise what I said before, I like GNOME and I used it for a long time. I also developed with GTK. I am not anti-GNOME and I am not anti-Mono. We try to provide factual information and there is no agenda here. The issue at hand is concern about long-term consequences -- consequences that might be too hard to avoid or retract.

How far will Mono go? Mimicking or implementing a P/L is one thing, but an observation worth making is that Mono might -- to a greater or lesser extent -- adopt Microsoft's "ribbon" interface (love it or hate it). It seems likely because a Mono developer has just had it implemented.

In a recent blog entry, lead Mono developer Miguel de Icaza expressed interest in using the new Ribbon interface components in a future version of MonoDevelop, an open source IDE for C# programming.


The common understanding is that Microsoft issued a press release where it said would enable third parties to implement the ribbon as long as they follow some guidelines, i.e. they follow Microsoft's rules. The technology is patented. Software/UI design patents seem to be valid in Canada, the US, Mexico, Australia, and Japan, so the validity of these patents can't be ignored or their value immediately dismissed (unless you buy SUSE). GNOME is a product that is used internationally.

The previous post on Mono, along with references that commenters added, seem to indicate that Miguel wishes to mimic a lot of patented Microsoft technology and planned to do this from the very start. How can one counter this myth and explain that GNOME is:

  1. immune to 'Microsoft tax' (Novell customers get Mono 'coverage' for 5 years, Xandros and Linspire customers do not)


  2. intended to build upon open standards that are not controlled by Microsoft (or Ecma, by proxy)


With that in mind, it was rather odd to find that Microsoft has a new codename: Nautilus. Take a guess or read Mary Jo Foley's analysis for further details.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Two Risks to Companies: The Microsoft Culture and the Microsoft Tools
Novell was killed by a form of "social engineering" by Microsoft
It's Hard to Trust People Who Worked - Not Only Those Who Still Work - at Microsoft
Bryan Lunduke is just what people would call an "arsehole of a person"
Links 06/07/2025: Climate Change and "The Right to Criticise"
Links for the day
The Mainstream Media Took 4 Days to Realise Microsoft Shut Down Its Operations in Pakistan and Fired Everybody
We estimate that Microsoft has had about 29,000 layoffs since January
“Twibel” Actions Against Comedians (and Why It's a Truly Low Blow)
they try to make up in quantities for a lack of merit or quality
 
[Video] "Copyleft Isn't a Bug."
"Copyleft isn’t a bug. It’s a feature. GNU GPL forced the world to treat code like a public good."
Being in Social Control Media Means Exposing Oneself to Heckling
Richard Stallman does not (either himself or directly) post to any social control media
Links 06/07/2025: Airlines Perils, Scams, and Breaches
Links for the day
For the Second Time, Bryan Lunduke From Microsoft is Siccing Racist Trolls and Vandals at Me
You're only reinforcing the point we made yesterday
Links 06/07/2025: End to End Encryption at Risk, Reuters Twitter ("X") Account Withheld in India
Links for the day
Gemini Links 06/07/2025: Tinylog and Certification Rotation
Links for the day
PCLinuxOS Sites Coming Back, Gradually
let's just be patient
Social Control Media, Even If Based on Free Software, Still Has Many Problems
a distraction from what actually mattered and still matters
IBM is Not Your Master
IBM makes friends with people who exclude the majority of the population: women
Help Fund the Free Software Foundation (FSF)
If you have some dollars to spare, go support the FSF
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 05, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 05, 2025
A Short History of Attacks on Techrights (and Boycott Novell Before That)
good opportunity to tell again the story of several (not all) attempts to silence us
Leadership in Free Software
Don't let IBM lead. It's a terrible flag bearer.
Linux Foundation Apparently Flirting With Slop (Marketing by LLM-Generated SPAM)
The Web is in a really bad state!
COVID-19 Sped Up Site Improvements in Techrights
A few months later we created our very own IRC network
Gemini Links 05/07/2025: Negative Questions and 'Touching Grass' (Going Outside)
Links for the day
Links 05/07/2025: Dalai Lama Succession as 90th Birthday Approaches, 40 deg C in China
Links for the day
Links 05/07/2025: Hungary and US Defecting to Russia, "Google's Hotseat Hypocrisy"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/07/2025: 4th of July 2025 and "Zig Roadmap 2026"
Links for the day
How to Combat the Exploitation and Abuse by Microsoft GitHub
Not to mention corruption and crimes against women
Bryan Lunduke is Actually Sending His Audience to Attack People
"[Lunduke] is actually sending his audience to attack people."
Even The Right Wing is Rejecting Bryan Lunduke
no wonder he became so irrelevant and marginal
Microsoft's MSN Helps Microsoft Spread Lies About the Layoffs' Scale (Well Over 25,000 People Laid Off This Year)
There seem to be monopolies on lies and on truth
The Death of X Has Been Greatly Exaggerated (by Compromised Media)
X.Org Server is alive and well
Rewriting Things in Rust
How far would you go?
In 2025 Everything is "AI". Remember Blockchains?
Talk about what companies and things (services, products, software) actually do, not the labels they use
Julian Assange Has Been Free for a Year
Julian Assange and I disagreed on some things
Monopolies and Scalping
Monopolies gravitate towards price hikes
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 04, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 04, 2025
Microsoft's August Layoffs Wave: "August is Confirmed for Additional Performance Based Cuts"
"August is confirmed for additional performance based cuts from the recent connects along with additional organizational cuts."
What Microsoft Reputation Laundering (With a Weaponised Law Degree) Looks Like in a Foreign Continent
You would expect this in uncivilised and primitive countries
Slopwatch: LLMs 'Write' Fake or Distorted 'News' About "Linux"
LLM slop disguised as news
Links 04/07/2025: Google Replaces the Web With Slop, "AI Might Kill Us All"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/07/2025: Mindfulness and F1
Links for the day
Weeks After Microsoft Bankruptcy in Russia the Company Shuts Down in Pakistan, Too
Last month Windows' share in Pakistan fell to an all-time low
Rob Musial's June 2025 Additions of Malware in Proprietary Software
Via the GNU Web site this week
Links 04/07/2025: Microsoft's H-1B Visa Applications Show Another Crisis Unfolding, Many More Deep Cuts and Shutdowns Revealed, Complete Microsoft Exits
Links for the day
Gemini Links 04/07/2025: A Day To Remember and "Stop Killing Games"
Links for the day
Crime and Corruption at Microsoft GitHub Cannot be Covered Up by SLAPPs in Another Continent
We'll write about this for a long time to come
Slop Videos Are Disappointing Garbage, Nothing New, Just Brute Force up on Display or a Pedestal of Slop
Slop videos aren't a new thing
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 03, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 03, 2025
The War on Local Storage (People Hosting Their Files Locally and Privately)
There's nothing wrong with controlling one's computing
What Digital Independence Means
Independence in the digital realms means abandoning platforms like GitHub, not just rejecting proprietary software
NVidia is a Bubble
they temporarily see fortunes and wrongly assume perpetuity thereof
Fedora Does Not Care About Diversity and Inclusion, It's About Optics (Corporate Image)
any notion of inclusion is superficial and misleading
Don't Buy the Excuses for Microsoft's Mass Layoffs
Back in the 90s, Microsoft bought a lot of companies to get and stay ahead