Project Mono: .NET Alternative IDE for Linux/UNIX

The popularity and widespread use of the .NET production environment is undeniable. Jobs are emerging all over the place for .NET software developers. But how about the Linux and UNIX coders who wish to also jump on the .NET framework bandwagon and have the ability to contribute and create .NET applications? With the open source project Mono, it is possible.

"Mono is a project led by Novell (formerly by Ximian) to create an Ecma standard compliant .NET compatible set of tools, including among others a C# compiler and a Common Language Runtime." Or in other words, Mono is a Linux or Unix version alternative of Visual Studio .NET, the Microsoft .NET Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for coding in various languages like Visual Basic (VB), C#, ASP, ADO, etc.

And apart from Linux and UNIX systems, Mono can also be run on BSD, Mac OS X, Solaris and Windows operating systems.

Although the current version of Mono already provides provides the core API of the .NET Framework, implementation of .NET Framework 3.0 is under development under an experimental Mono subproject called Olive, but the availability of a Mono framework supporting .NET 3.0 is still not planned yet.

Still, Mono provides the necessary software to develop and run .NET client and server applications, including the following features:
- Multi-platform.
- Based on the ECMA/ISO standards.
- Runs ASP.NET and Winforms applications.
- Can run .NET, Java, Python and more.
- Open Source, Free Software.
- Commercially supported.
- Comprehensive technology coverage.

An open source implementation of Silverlight, called Moonlight, is also underway and is included in Mono 1.9. The Silverlight 2.0 .NET classes are implemented as part of the Olive module. For the current release of Mono available for download, visit:
http://www.mono-project.com/Main_Page