Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

C#, CLI Accepted by ECMA

Posted by michael on from the moving-target dept.

SlipJig writes "Apparently ECMA has approved standardization of both C# (Microsoft's new programming language) and the CLI (Common Language Infrastructure). While I'm sure this won't entice the die-hard anti-MS folks, I suppose it's a good thing. Here's the article on CNet."

5 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. What good is it? by wrinkledshirt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    But Microsoft will retain control over who gets to license the technology and how it will be distributed, a company spokesman said.

    This alone makes it seem pretty useless to me.

    What good is creating just any old C# compiler? The point would be to get the compiler to output code that could run on the .NET framework, and it's not like MS is going to be forthcoming with the information to make that possible.

    --

    --------
    Bleah! Heh heh heh... BLEAH BLEAH!!! Ha ha ha ha...

  2. Two Points Bother Me! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Two thigs come to mind:

    1) "..Microsoft will retain control over who gets to license the technology and how it will be distributed.."

    2) "..the ECMA submission from Microsoft only defines a subset of the .Net Framework.."

    At least they actually submitted something unlike Sun with Java!

    This seems like a 'standard' in a limited sense - here's an industry standard but you can only use it if we like you!

  3. Interesting to see where this goes... by fm6 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Microsoft's big problem is that they don't play well with others. Hence the IBM divorce. Hence their limited (nonexistent?) role in the development of an XSL standard, despite their domination of early XSL efforts and their ongoing efforts to create new XSL software. Hence their ongoing feud with Sun, which had more to do with technical quibbles about AWT and native methods than any conspiracy to "poison" Java.

    People often see a dark agenda in MS's actions. And sometimes that's actually true. But I think they play Cousin Dudley more often than Voldemort.

    With .NET, MS has really conflicting goals. On the one hand, they need something to compete with Java, and will insulate apps from the convoluted NT API. But that means something very similar to Java, a software platform that's hardware agnostic. And that means cooperating with other companies, something they just don't like to do. Not a formula for success.

  4. No posts? by fm6 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Is this one of those topic-only articles that most Slashdotters never see? Hard to tell without fiddling with your options, and I can't be bothered.

    In any case, don't assume that .NET is a non-starter, just because all the techies you know are yawning. Microsoft projects develop a following because they're from Microsoft. Not fair -- just the way it is.

    Yes, I do remember Microsoft Bob. Not the same. .NET isn't coming out of nowhere. It's Microsoft's answer to Java. Which hasn't lived up to the early hype either, but has found a certain acceptance.

    1. Re:No posts? by fm6 · · Score: 3, Interesting
      The ideology behind .NET is more like "Use the .net framework and have the freedom to use whatever language you like (p.s. only runs on Windows)"
      Well, officially .NET is cross-platform. It's tempting to dismiss that as MS marketing noise. But if using .NET means handcuffing yourself to Microsoft, it's hard to imagine people choosing it over Java.

      Incidentally, the Java language isn't the only high-level language for the Java platform. It's just the only one Sun and it's big partners are interested in. He's a list of other languages. Of course, there are notable gaps -- apparently it's just too hard to make C++ or most legacy languages use the JVM.

      Microsoft claims the CLI is more flexible, and that .NET will support everything from FORTRAN and COBOL on. We'll see.