Mono 2.0 boosts Linux compatibility with Microsoft .Net

Mono 2.0 is now available for download. An open source project sponsored by Waltham, Mass.-based Novell Inc., Mono is a Unix-based tool that enables Microsoft .Net applications to run on Linux, Solaris or Macintosh platforms.

Mono 2.0 follows two previous versions of Mono, with the first released in 2004 and the second in 2006. The latter version was used to write Moonlight, an open source plug-in to Microsoft’s Silverlight for creating interactive applications.

The key advance in Mono 2.0, a spokesman said, is that it achieves full compatibility with .Net, where the previous versions only reached partial capability with .Net. Mono 2.0 also includes a debugger, a Language Integrated Query from .Net 3.5 and a Migration Analyzer.

Michael Cote, an analyst with Denver, Colo.-based Redmonk, said the new version of Mono helps the Linux platform by enabling .Net developers to work on Windows as well as open source platforms.

“It’s great to give companies the option of using the underlying OS of their choice,” Cote said.

Mono 2.0 may be downloaded from http://www.mono-project.com.