:Open Invitation to Mono Proponents to Set the Record Straight
Open Invitation to Mono Proponents to Set the Record Straight Jun 11, 2009, 14 :46 UTC (54 Talkback[s]) (10539 reads) (Other stories by Carla Schroder)
Ubuntu Is Driving Me Away
struck some nerves yesterday, with 43 talkbacks and still going. The issue presented in the article seems fairly simple: given the controversy surrounding Mono, some folks feel that Mono and Mono applications should not be included on the Ubuntu installation CD. There are other, better applications that could be included, and that the pressure to include Mono by default is not about its merits, but forcing Microsoft technologies and its unholy embrace into Ubuntu.
Mono fans have been creating a giant ruckus in the Ubuntu forums, and even here have made some fur fly, and have not bothered to say why removing Mono from the Ubuntu installation CD and simply including it in the standard repos is not acceptable. It will be available for anyone who wants it, just like the majority of Ubuntu packages. The inability of Mono fans to answer that simple question has me a bit bothered, as though there is a deeper agenda.
Rather, the discussion here has been primarily about why Mono is not a threat to Linux, after all it is GPL, and nobody should be upset by it. As discussions tend to be fractured, wandering, and emotional, I think that a calm presentation of why Mono is desirable, why it is not a threat, and why it should be included in Ubuntu by default would be beneficial. Write it up, plain text with simple HTML tags for paragraph and line breaks, and email it to me at cschroder@internet.com and I will publish it as soon as I receive it. Say anything you want, keeping in mind of course the LT TOS, which in a nutshell is no swear words and no personal attacks.
I extended this same invitation in the Talkbacks yesterday and so far have no takers. Comments do get overlooked in long threads, so here it is again out in plain view. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing what people have to say.
