Ruby looks a lot more like Smalltalk, and Smalltalk has almost nothing to do with Java. But of course, if you have never been a Smalltalk developer it might be difficult to understand...
In addition, Ruby is a scripting language, Java is not. Consequently, you get a lot more possibilities, (and more slowness too).
"Not compatible with normal Ruby" Yes it will, since they want to support Ruby on Rails. If you can run Ruby on Rails, you got a very good implementation.
"We're discontinuing Ruby.NET, please refer to Silverlight." Firstly, it is IronRuby;) (Ruby.NET is a non-Microsoft program).
Secondly, IronRuby could not really be discontinued since it is open-source. So you will always have the right to compile it yourself. It has nothing to do with a proprietary software that is discontinued and can't be ported to new platforms. Just take a look at IronPython. The open-source community has create a spin-off called IronPython Community Edition.
So you prefer to employ people who do not care about using external code regardless of the license? The guy just did not know whether it is legal or not. So, he just asked. No business problem here. On the other hand, there are people who wouldn't care taking GPL code in a proprietary program. But I suppose it would be okay for you because he would have the "sense of business priorities or usage of time". Or maybe you just avoid employing people without legal experience yet, which imply that you have to pay more for more experienced employees. If that's you sense of business to loose cash by only employing experienced developers:D
Instead of spending hundred of millions of dollars, they should first try to invest just a few millions in the Focus Fusion Society. If they idea works it would be a really neat solution. It is really sad that they have so much problems to get funds.
Stop spreading FUD about patents. Microsoft will likely never attack because Novell could counter-attack using the Open Invention Network. If you never heard about OIN, just google for "Mono patent OIN". Also up to now Microsoft has never been hostile to this new implementation. Of course this does not mean they would never attack, but they know what would happen to them in that case. Also Mono take care of doing clean-room implementation to have a pretty clean implementation.
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Ruby looks a lot more like Smalltalk, and Smalltalk has almost nothing to do with Java. But of course, if you have never been a Smalltalk developer it might be difficult to understand... In addition, Ruby is a scripting language, Java is not. Consequently, you get a lot more possibilities, (and more slowness too).
So you prefer to employ people who do not care about using external code regardless of the license? The guy just did not know whether it is legal or not. So, he just asked. No business problem here. On the other hand, there are people who wouldn't care taking GPL code in a proprietary program. But I suppose it would be okay for you because he would have the "sense of business priorities or usage of time". Or maybe you just avoid employing people without legal experience yet, which imply that you have to pay more for more experienced employees. If that's you sense of business to loose cash by only employing experienced developers :D
Instead of spending hundred of millions of dollars, they should first try to invest just a few millions in the Focus Fusion Society. If they idea works it would be a really neat solution. It is really sad that they have so much problems to get funds.
Stop spreading FUD about patents. Microsoft will likely never attack because Novell could counter-attack using the Open Invention Network. If you never heard about OIN, just google for "Mono patent OIN". Also up to now Microsoft has never been hostile to this new implementation. Of course this does not mean they would never attack, but they know what would happen to them in that case. Also Mono take care of doing clean-room implementation to have a pretty clean implementation.