Novell unveils Mono project roadmap

Issued by Emerging Media for Novell
Johannesburg, 26 Jan 2004

Novell today announced the roadmap for the Mono project, a community initiative to develop an open source version of the Microsoft .NET development platform to enable Linux and Unix developers to build and deploy cross-platform .NET applications.

The roadmap outlines the early 2004 release of Mono 1.0 and subsequent versions, guiding corporate developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) who plan to build .NET-based applications on a broad range of platforms and operating systems.

"Linux on the desktop is becoming a viable option for an increasing number of IT buyers," says Stafford Masie, Novell SA country manager. "To be successful, developers need a productive development environment, stable APIs and a well-defined technology roadmap. Mono provides all of this, plus the benefits of .NET for Linux and Unix."

Mono, which has seen more than two years of engineering and testing, makes it far easier to build and deploy applications on Linux and Unix. The project continues advancing to accommodate the evolution of Microsoft .NET, Linux and Gnome desktop technologies, and the roadmap ensures that IT developers and ISVs can plan effectively and provide feedback along the way. The complete Mono roadmap can be found at http://www.go-mono.com/mono-roadmap.html. Highlights include the following:

* Mono 1.0 is the initial release, intended for developers to both learn Mono and to begin building .NET 1.1-compatible applications for Linux and Unix. Anticipated release is second quarter of 2004.

*.Mono 1.0 will ship with different library profiles, including compatibility with .NET 1.0, .NET 1.1 and the ECMA-specified profiles.

*.Mono 1.0 features a code generator that can be used in just-in-time (JIT) or ahead-of-time (AOT) modes. The code generator supports x86- and PowerPC-based architectures. Support for other architectures is provided with an interpreter (Arm, Sparc, HPPA and s390).

*.Upcoming Mono 1.2 will provide libraries for building GUI-based applications as well as initial support for the features in .NET 1.2.

The Mono project

The Mono project, named "Best Open Source Project" at LinuxWorld Conference & Expo 2003, was initiated by Ximian (now part of Novell) to provide developers with a modern set of development tools as well as a mechanism to deploy .NET applications on Unix and Linux systems. Mono incorporates key .NET-compliant components, including a C compiler, a virtual execution system and a growing set of class libraries, including ASP.Net and ADO.Net as well as GNOME- and Linux-specific libraries. More than 150 developers from around the world contribute to Mono. For more information, visit http://www.ximian.com/mono or http://www.go-mono.com.

Novell

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 NgageSM). 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 Center at (888) 321-4CRC (4272) or visit http://www.novell.com. ress should visit http://www.novell.com/pressroom.

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