Novell has announced the availability of Mono 1.0, an open source development platform based on the .NET framework that allows software developers to efficiently build Linux and cross-platform applications to benefit their customers or co-workers.
A community initiative sponsored by Novell, the Mono project makes it far easier to build and develop applications on Linux and other platforms, allowing developers to get software to market faster and more cost-effectively.
"Even as Linux grows on enterprise desktops, developing applications for the Linux desktop has been challenging because existing tools were extremely technical and complex," said Miguel de Icaza, Novell vice-president of development and founder of the Mono project.
"Mono is an extremely usable, commercial-grade development platform for Linux desktops and servers with a complete set of tools and APIs. It`s based on published standards and proven programming languages and libraries, and Mono`s cross-platform capabilities also extend to applications for Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS X and other flavours of Unix."
Mono includes a C+ compiler, a .NET-compatible runtime and two stacks of application programming interfaces (API) - a Mono stack that takes utmost advantage of Linux servers and desktops, and a set of APIs compatible with the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 that provides support for ASP.NET, ADO.NET and several other components. To further aid software developers, a new Web site - http://www.mono-project.com - has been launched with tools, resources, project roadmaps and detailed information about Mono. Previous project Web sites focused on creating and contributing to Mono, while the new site caters to users of Mono and those deploying applications with Mono, in addition to project contributors.
With hundreds of developers around the world contributing to Mono, it is a recommended platform for building desktop applications on the Linux operating system, and Novell is using Mono internally in the development of products including iFolder and ZENworks. Since the Mono Beta 1 was released on 4 May, more than 50 000 copies of the software have been downloaded.
Mono 1.0 incorporates key .NET-compliant components such as a C+ compiler and a portable execution system that includes just-in-time (JIT) and pre-compilation support. In addition, the Mono project provides:
* An advanced development environment for writing Linux applications with unprecedented productivity.
*Comprehensive APIs for delivering rich client, Web services and server-side applications.
* Cross-platform deployment capabilities, supporting Linux, Sun Solaris, Apple MacOS X, Microsoft Windows NT/XP and various other Unix systems on a variety of architectures.
* Highly effective tools that facilitate the creation of product APIs and software development kits (SDK) that are language independent across multiple operating systems.
* The cross-platform Gtk GUI programming library that allows developers to target Linux, Windows and MacOS X with a single code base from any of the Mono compatible programming languages.
* Support for several languages such as VisualBasic, Python, JScript and Java. Through the open source project iKVM, Mono includes Java support, making the popular language an able vehicle for leveraging Mono technology.
Mono 1.0 is available for download at http://www.mono-project.com/downloads/index.html. For more information about the Mono project, visit http://www.mono-project.com.
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Novell, Inc (Nasdaq: NOVL) is a leading provider of information solutions that deliver secure identity management (Novell Nsure), Web application development (Novell exteNd) and cross-platform networking services (Novell Nterprise), all supported by strategic consulting and professional services (Novell Ngage). Active in the open source community with its Ximian and SUSE Linux brands, Novell provides a full range of Linux products and services for the enterprise, from the desktop to the server. Novell`s vision of one Net - a world without information boundaries - helps customers realise the value of their information securely and economically. For more information, call Novell`s Customer Response Centre at (888) 321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com. Press should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom.
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