Mono and Moonlight
From en.swpat.org
Mono and Moonlight are free software packages developed with help from Microsoft. Questions of their legal safety exist because both packages use ideas on which Microsoft holds patents. Microsoft has given limited reassurances, but they are far from complete.
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[edit] Mono
[edit] What is it?
Mono is an implementation of the C# programming language and the Common Language Infrastucture as described by ECMA-334 / ISO/IEC 23270 and ECMA-335 / ISO/IEC 23271.
[edit] What reassurances has Microsoft offered?
The ECMA-334 and ECMA-335 are covered by the Microsoft Open Specification Promise and the Microsoft Community Promise.[1]
[edit] Avoiding Mono
- For note-taking, or a personal wiki, use GNote.
- To manage and edit collections of photos, use Shotwell or Solang or GQview.
[edit] Avoiding C#
Info sought: there is a langauge called "Vala" which aims to have the utility of C# without the patent problems.
[edit] Moonlight
[edit] What is it?
Moonlight is primarily a web-browser plugin which provides animation and interactivity features which can be used to develop web applications.
[edit] What reassurances has Microsoft offered?
In 2007, Microsoft published a "Covenant to Downstream Recipients of Moonlight".[2] A new promise was published in December 2009,[3] but it was criticised as being no improvement on the previous promise. The new promise also specifically excludes distributors from any patent protection.[4]
[edit] Avoiding Moonlight
Many features of HTML 5.0 have been designed to provide functionality which is offered by Moonlight. Here's some good info on HTML5.
[edit] Related pages on en.swpat.org
- OOXML
- Harm to standards
- Patent promises
- Microsoft Open Specification Promise
- Free software harmed by software patents
- Campaigns to avoid patented ideas
[edit] External links
- Mono-nono - a site documenting the problems with Mono
- Mono actually is dangerous
- 2008: Summary of Mono’s Danger to GNU/Linux and the Free Desktop Summary and list of many articles by BoycottNovel.com
- 2009: Why free software shouldn't depend on Mono or C#, by Richard Stallman
- (a week later, FSF reconfirmed this position, and it was discussed on Groklaw)
- "Five straightforward steps to vanquish Mono"
- Monomania, October 2009, Jeremy Allison looks at the patent problems
- How to Advocate for/against Mono Convincingly, October 2009, Chao-Kuei Hung challenges mono supporters with a vote, with interesting responses from mono supporters
- Microsoft Community Promise
[edit] References
- ↑ http://www.microsoft.com/interop/cp/default.mspx
- ↑ http://www.microsoft.com/interop/msnovellcollab/moonlight.mspx
- ↑ http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Microsoft-promises-not-to-press-charges-against-Moonlight-users-892666.html
- ↑ http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.redhat.fedora.devel/126037/focus=126221
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