[Tfug] MS .NET source code--look but don't touch

[Jude Nelson]

@Glenn:

Did I say "are"?  That was a typo--I meant "will soon be" (I have a
bad habit of confusing near-current software and current software).
Either way, I'm staying clear for now.

@Andrew:

While Mono is legal *now* because it shares no code from MS.NET, all
it would take to change that is for one Mono contributor (not even one
of the core developers) to sneak a peak at the MS source, write a
patch against Mono, and get the developers to accept it.  Regardless
of whether or not that developer was truly influenced by the MS source
is irrelevant--Mono would be potentially tainted enough to be taken to
court for copyright infringement.  Microsoft would be able to keep a
tab on who agreed to look at their source, and just watch the Mono
project's developer mailing list for a while until they see something
that looks a bit *too* similar to their code or they see someone who
they know looked at their source successfully submit a patch.  The
core developers can't verify whether or not the patch was inspired or
copied from MS--to do so authoritatively would be to look at the
MS.NET source themselves and make the comparison--so they have no way
of knowing how valid an external patch may be, and since Mono and .NET
implement the same interface (the .NET languages), there's bound to be
similar-looking code between the two anyway.  Basically, Microsoft is
attempting to dissolve the inter-developer trust in the authenticity
of Mono's code.  It's a dirty con trick, but both Microsoft and the
Mono developers know that Miguel de Icaza doesn't have the man-power
to maintain a clean-room environment (I can't say I feel bad for de
Icaza--he should have known he had it coming).

Regards,
Jude

On 10/5/07, Claude Rubinson <rubinson at u.arizona.edu> wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 05, 2007 at 09:59:28AM -0700, Glen Pfeiffer wrote:
> > On the other hand, I do know that Miguel de Icaza, co-founder of
> > Gnome and Mono, was talking about using Mono in Gnome desktop
> > applications as early as 2002 [1]. But it appears this has not
> > happened yet. [2]
> >
> > [1] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/02/01/gnome_to_be_based/
> > [2]
> http://www.mono-project.com/FAQ:_General#Has_the_GNOME_Foundation_or_the_GNOME_team_adopted_Mono.3F
>
> But also look at the FAQ just following the one that you linked to:
>
>     Should GNOME programmers switch over to Mono now?
>
>     Yes, we believe that Mono 1.0 is ready to be used as the main
>     development platform for building applications for the GNOME
>     desktop. Mono includes Gtk# a .NET binding for GTK+ and various
>     GNOME libraries which together with C# and the System libraries
>     provide developers with great productivity for building graphical
>     applications especially when compared to GTK+ or Java Swing.
>
> Which makes it sound like Gnome is an upgrade path to Mono.
> Personally, my fears with Mono aren't so much that MS will sue Novell
> or Gnome developers or whomever but simply that MS will extend the
> standard such that Mono developers are left chasing MS' tail.  (See
> the MS office formats.)
>
> Also, de Icaza just rubs me the wrong way.  Always has.  Too
> infatuated with MS.  I'm all for cloning good technologies but I don't
> get the sense that he's at all discriminating.  Monkey see, monkey do.
>
> Claude
>
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