Havent gotten too much into .NET yet, but it seems it would allow people to submit competition solutions coded in the language of their choice, so that its not too unfair in that way.
I think M$ are releasing 'nix and poss. MacOS runtimes for the platform, it won't just be a win-specif. thing.
the .NET Terrarium competition if anyone else tried that is a cool example of this working.
(it would stop your 31337 VB coderz moaning )

Could you make that a little more understandable? Are you trying to say that you can now convert your program to different languages? Clarify please. [addsig]

people can code for .NET in:
APL
C++
C#
COBOL
Component Pascal
Curriculum
Eiffel
Fortran
Haskell
Java Language
Microsoft JScript®
Mercury Mondrian
Oberon
Oz
Pascal
Perl
Python
RPG
Scheme
SmallTalk
Standard ML
Microsoft Visual Basic®

The runtime is currently only available for windows(i think) but more soon

playing Terrarium, i was actually running compiled code as dll's, coded by random ppl i never met, in whatever languages they used, on my box. it's kind'f similar to sun java in that it is (will be) cross platform, except it has this complete and stable security architecture, it's properly optimised for specific processors in a way that Java wasn't.

But anyway, people with windows can download the sdk (or just the runtime) from the msdn site; the sdk comes with VB,Jscript&c# .NET compilers, the runtime, and loads of resources and documentation and tutorials.

People can make .NET applications just with a text editor, was thinking it might be an idea to set up a comp or two for any doze users who wanted an excuse to look at the platform?
+for those who like c++ and java, c# is a very interesting language.

Code:
public class SimpleClass
{
}

public class SimpleApp
{
public void Main()
{
SimpleClass simpleclass = new SimpleClass();
}
}


it actually has *no pointers* but hasnt lost any power at all through this, it has automatic memory management, completely typesafe. it's more object oriented than c++ or java, check:
Code:
class Test
{
static void Main() {
Console.WriteLine(3.ToString());
}
}


thats actually callying a method of the literal constant 3!

anyway, check it out if you're interested.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/csspec/html/CSharpSpecStart.asp?frame=true

I don't trust Microsoft-invented "standards". Their only goal is to make money, and whatever they touch they try to monopolize. Money is the great enemy of science

sorry robert but money is the thing that drives all programers. all standars, all prog languages were created to get some use of it. at the end that use goes to money.

nonama: you could NOT possibly be more wrong! all the way from the early "hackers" to those of today, programmers are driven by curiosity and they code because it's fun!

also, the best applications have always been written because some coder needed it. not because somebody told them to write it for money.

[ This Message was edited by: Peter on 2002-04-05 19:22 ]

I agree with Peter and nonama. Hackers...yes they did do it for fun. But the basis was not for money, like Microsoft. They do make there languages for money. [addsig]

kypro: how the hell can you agree both with me and nonama? nonama said the following: "money is the thing that drives all programers" and I argumented against that. do you actually read what we're saying?

and I still think that nonama talked bullshit.... I think we had this discussion before, and our money-greedy nonama would do nothing for no money....that was the result afair...
[addsig]

The only thing to do about m$ standards is probably to create products that implement the standards on other platforms; the only entity that can do this without being squeezed out of existence is the open source community. A version of the .NET runtime for Linux will be just fine...

About science vs. money:
(A) The business community makes money, but they need technological breakthroughs.
(B) The technical/research community makes technological breakthroughs, but they need money.

The practical solution:
(A) The business community uses the technological breakthroughs of the technical community to make money, and
(B) The technical community uses the money from the business community to do more research and development.

The killer apps for the Open Source community will be systems that allow Windows programs to run efficiently under Linux, directX and all.

--------------------
It's not fun to program on an empty stomach,
Neither is trying sell an inferior product

Quote:
The killer apps for the Open Source community will be systems that allow Windows programs to run efficiently under Linux, directX and all.

You forget that the world isnt just composed of young haxors who dont go out and just play Quake.

Quote:
On 2002-04-05 18:03, nonama wrote:
sorry robert but money is the thing that drives all programers. all standars, all prog languages were created to get some use of it. at the end that use goes to money.


even if that were true, the huge monopoly Microsoft making and selling a standard is very different from the community making an open-source standard in order to give it away for free. it makes *the* difference, in regards to whether one should be wary...

your equalization of the two is just... false