[Wiltshire] Mono polution wad - Re: Meeting tomorrow

[John Larkworthy]

Hi,

I find it ironic that the Gnome project was started because KDE used non-free QT libraries and now GNAME seems to be using non-free dotNET libraries.

I personally regard Mono as a risky install. While I think I am too small for a Patent troll to attack, (an arguement that didn't protect Jamie Thomas-Rasset from the RIAA), I would rather not use non-free software unless forced into a corner.

The whole mono issue seems to be because Miguel who was the main developer for Gnome embraced the ECMA standard C# and CLI developed my MS. While these might be 'what Java should have been' they were developed by MS. 
MS seem to be pushing Silverlight as an alternative to Flash but this does need the dotNET libraries - something you get with Windows.
For Moonlight to properly act as a Silverlight player on Linux it needs the dotNet libraries too but these are not standardized and I don't believe there is a reversed engineered (free) equivalent. The much vaunted promise by MS seems to be an attempt to make anyone not supporting mono/moonlight look thoroughly unreasonable. Reading the promise closely it offers very little protection. It only applies to the current ECMA standards, not to the dotNET libraries and MS could 'enhance' at any time moving the goal posts ala Samba. Any atempt to bring the latest monon in to line with the latest dotNET release from MS will certainly infringe some patents. The question is when will MS spring this patent trap and direct your attention to the weasel words which you read as protection but in another reading shows how limited that was?

I draw your attention to this web site:

http://boycottnovell.com/

They are currently railing against Mono and Moonlight but are also chronicling the MS dirty tricks campaign documented in the Comes v Microsoft court case.


John.

--- On Mon, 13/7/09, David Fletcher <dave at thefletchers.net> wrote:

> From: David Fletcher <dave at thefletchers.net>
> Subject: Re: [Wiltshire] Meeting tomorrow
> To: wiltshire at mailman.lug.org.uk
> Date: Monday, 13 July, 2009, 11:30 AM
> On Monday 13 July 2009 09:57:44 John
> Larkworthy wrote:
> > Hi Dave,
> >
> > Count me in as usual. I shall be there by about 9:30
> or perhaps a little
> > earlier.
> >
> > John.
> 
> One of the big concerns at present seems to be the
> incorporation of Mono as a 
> dependency of one application into distributions, and the
> so-called Community 
> Promise.
> 
> Dave
> 
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