CodePlex Foundation will help spread use of Mono

By Sam Varghese
Wednesday, 23 September 2009 05:13

Opinion and Analysis

For a long time, de Icaza and his supporters have been praising C# and pushing it as a language that makes developing applications easier and faster. His views are often contested by other equally, and more, technically qualified people.

Now comes his big chance to push Mono - the CodePlex Foundation will ensure that there are sufficient incentives for free and open source foftware developers who come on board.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Foundation quietly provides tools and assistance to move from other languages to C#. And Miguel will provide the way to please both sides - Mono. It's going to be the salvation of us all.

The Foundation's help would be a boon to those developers who have difficulty finding a means of adequate support. And, yes, there are free and open source software developers who do it tough and anything that eases the burden would be welcomed.

One would not blame them, either, for accepting any help which is on offer. Code doesn't fill empty bellies.

The devious side of Microsoft is evident in the way the Foundation has been structured. Nobody else can become a member - for if the Foundation did start turning a profit, then those members would also want their slice of the pie.

And remember, the Foundation is not a non-profit - even though it resides at a .org address. That's the usual Microsoft spin.

The one thing that still puzzles me about the Foundation is why it was set up in such a hurry. About its nature, the FAQ says:

"While the Codeplex Foundation may eventually evolve into a charitable non-profit, the requirements for a charitable non-profit are more stringent. The set-up time for such an organization (sic) would have been longer, and the planning process considerably more complex. Given that we wanted much of the planning for the Foundation to take place in an open, transparent manner, it made more sense to launch quickly but minimally, and then begin the dialog with industry partners and open source community members that will ultimately shape the Foundation."

I have no doubt, however, that in the coming weeks and months we will come to know why this organisation was born in something of a premature state.