:: Metaj on Mono ::

:: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 ::

Miguel Sees It
Yesterday I read Miguel de Icaza's blog posting about Microsoft and Defining the Game. In a recent post I said one of the reasons I don't invest much time in Mono is because Microsoft is doing such a great job on all .NET fronts. Call them a monopoly if you want, but the truth is that they are executing very well on their .NET strategies, and have produced a level of momentum that will be difficult for anyone to keep up with. I don't see any for-profit companies that could keep up, and frankly, I just don't believe any OpenSource movement can gain the necessary levels of direction, cooperation, and momentum to compete with, much less inovate beyond Microsoft's .NET tidal wave. That's the way I see it, and I think Miguel's post shows that he sees it, too.
:: Jay Metaj 10:14 AM [+] ::
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It's Been A Long Time...
Since blogged & rolled ;-)

It doesn't seem like it has been almost a year since I updated this blog! Oh well. Here's my status regarding Linux and Mono:

1. I don't use Linux anymore
2. I only use Mono occassionally (and always on Windows)

The reason for #1 is simply that I don't have time to mess around with technologies that aren't taking me anywhere. Granted, there are lots of techies out there making a living with their tux-skills. But, I ain't one of 'em. I have yet to have a customer ask me to do anything Linux related or to express any interest in Linux.

The reason for #2 is that VS and .NET are so damn awesome. Why do I want to mess around with a simple text editor and cmd-line compiler? Actually, I do a ton of stuff via cmd-line, including .NET compilation, but when dev productivity is an issue, I gladly pay the VS tax! CodeSense (or whatever the mkting name is these days), multi-project solutions, Debug Anything (tm) debugging, integrated help, etc. are too compelling.

I still like the Mono concept, and I like NAnt, so I poke around with them every now and then. I keep up with Mono builds, etc. But the question to me is this: Where is Mono going long-term in the land of Novell. I like Ximian better when it was independent. Novell's acquision makes sense from the "How do we push more Suse sales?" standpoint. But, to be honest, I think Mono is going to wither away or, at best, always be in a long-distance catch-up mode with Microsoft.
:: Jay Metaj 6:07 PM [+] ::
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