The .NET/Mono Framework has never been a single, unified stack and over the years Microsoft and Novell added several new versions to cover Linux, OS X, and mobile devices. With the introduction of Windows 8 and Visual Studio 11 we can expect one, maybe two more. In an attempt to clear up some of the confusion this article reintroduces all of the major profiles and many of the lessor know ones.
Xamarin, the current care takers of the Mono project, have released a prototype of Android with the Java virtual machine completely removed. In its place is the Mono for Android version of the CLR, with most of the Java APIs converted into C# code.
Mono for Android will soon have its own visual UI designer. Currently a private beta is available; developers interested are encouraged to sign up for the Mono for Android Designer Beta program. We spoke with Lluis Sanchez, the UI designer architect, for more information.
An ongoing problem with specialized platforms is the lack of support for unit testing. Developers are forced to compromise the quality of their tests or their build process in order to get anything working. Recently MonoTouch has made progress in this area, but Windows Phone and Mono for Android still lag behind.
Xamarin, purveyors of C# compilers for Android and iOS, is looking to make mobile device code more portable by standardizing the way hardware is accessed. Their new abstraction layer, Xamarin.Mobile, allows the same code for contact, geolocation, and notifications to be used across each type of device.
The MonoDevelop team has just released version 2.8 of their open-source for IDE for .NET and Mono development. InfoQ took a moment to speak with MonoDevelop's project manager Lluis Sanchez to discuss this release and its increasing popularity on Mac and Windows.
Mono is back where it started. Miguel de Icaza and his developers have all legal rights to continue developing Mono and all related products due to an agreement with SUSE, now part of The Attachmate Group.
Novell Mono is officially dead. All of the developers have been let go and the new owner, Attachmate, has not expressed any interest in maintaining the project. But in true open source fashion, a new fork is rising up. Led by Mono’s founder Miguel de Icaza, a new company named Xamarin has been founded.
Wallace B. McClure is the co-author of Professional iPhone Programming with MonoTouch and .NET/C# and the soon to be released Professional Android Programming with Mono for Android and .NET/C#. Our interview took place took place prior to and just following the announcement that Xamarin would be taking over maintenance of Mono from Attachmate.
Greg Shackles introduces Android, Mono and Mono for Android, explaining the fundamental components of programming for Android with Mono accompanied by demos and code samples.
Miguel de Icaza and Nat Friedman answer questions on Mono: Xamarin, the deal with Novell, packaging, iOS 5, Lion, Android, licenses, MVC3, WCF, Mono phone, MonoDevelop, and others.
