Mono Outpaces Java In Linux Desktop Development

dp619 writes "Mono, a framework based on Microsoft technology, has become more popular for Linux desktop applications than Java, but recent changes could strengthen Java's hand, SD Times is reporting. The story also touches on the failure of Linux distros to keep pace with Eclipse."

Comments

What is strengthening Java according to TFA?

[Jugalator]

but recent changes could strengthen Java's hand, SD Times is reporting

OK, I've glanced over the article twice now, and can't see anywhere where they bring up what could be strengthening Java's position in the future?

I'm assuming it's updates to Eclipse, but they never state it explicitly, just that some Linux distros have weaker IDE support compared to MonoDevelop? *shrug*

Re:What is strengthening Java according to TFA?

[TheNarrator]

Yeah after I read that enormous whopper of a lie, followed by the other lie that no other languages were developed by sun for the JVM, I pretty much figured this guy is just a Microsoft shill and has no interest in actually providing any useful information.. Best way to spot a sock puppet or shill by the way is when they receive a counter argument they either ignore it or repeat their initial argument over again. Since they are getting paid and you are not they will repeat this behavior until you get bored and leave the conversation paving the way for them to preach to the naive without any counter-argument.

Re:No mention of X-platform

[pherthyl]

>> Think of network sockets, file access, threads, and a bunch of other things that quite frankly are annoying to do in C or C++.

You're just using the wrong C++ libraries.
Using Qt I can do all the things you mentioned and just about everything else in the C# and Java class libraries. Cross platform, without the performance and resource penalty of a virtual machine. Also the final product will appear more native on more platforms than C# or Java.

Also because of Qt's design, I barely have to bother with memory management in my GUI apps. So far I'm averaging one delete statement per 1000 lines of code. Everything else is cleaned up automatically. If I thought a bit harder about my design I could probably get rid of most of those deletes as well.

Re:I don't think so

[cryptoluddite]

It feels much more natural than Java programming.

chmod +x ./natural.exe
export DLLPATH=/usr/lib/libmono.dll

Yeah, right. Natural.

More popular?

[Alex Belits]

That's like saying that hydrochloric acid is more popular as a drink than hydrofluoric acid.

Both environments are massive messes of overcomplicated languages with even more overcomplicated infrastructure, stuffed with random libraries and lovingly wrapped with overinflated egos of their designers and developers, and wankery of the users who think, it's the second coming of Lisp.

At this point there are five good choices for developing a new non-game GUI-centric application for Linux (or anything except Windows-only or OSX-only applications):

1. C++/Qt (KDE and everything useful in it, Opera, QCad, countless commercial applications).
2. C/GTK (GNOME and everything useful in it, X-Chat, Pidgin).
3. C++/GTK (OpenOffice.org).
4. Python/Qt.
5. Python/GTK.

This covers everything anyone would want in a GUI-centric application -- the five reasons I have seen for other combinations are:

1. As attempt to promote some crappy environment or a "my first application in <crappy environment>" project that got out of hand (Tomboy, Banshee).
2. Out of ignorance (all "enterprise applications" where Java was chosen because it's supposed to be "cross-platform").
3. A minimal update for some old application that was written before the above five choices became available (the only reason why I still have Motif installed).
4. The application IS an environment designed specifically for some set of goals (Emacs, Mozilla).
5. As a wrapper over something someone already written.