Mono 3.0 Brings C# Up-To-Date

Mono 3.0 has been released with a complete C# 5.0 compiler with asynchronous programming support, improved garbage collection and the incorporation of Microsoft's open-source framework for Web development.

Announcing Mono 3.0 on his blog, Miguel de Icaza writes:
After a year and a half, we have finally released Mono 3.0.

He also says the project is:
"moving to a more nimble release process with Mono 3.0. We are trying to reduce our inventory of pending work and get new features to everyone faster. This means that our "master" branch will remain stable from now on, and that large projects will instead be developed in branches that are regularly landed into our master branch"

This third major revision of Mono, the open source, cross-platform, implementation of the .NET framework, adds support for features added in .NET 5, in particular asynchronous programming which improves an applications ability to respond to input during long-running tasks. The .NET 4.5 Async API profile is now the default for the compiler, but it can support all .NET API profiles for compilation.

It also incorporates the assemblies from Microsoft's open-sourced ASP.NET framework for Web development with Mono's implementation of JSON now being replaced by Microsoft's. ASP.NET's Web Pages, MVC 4, Entity Framework object-relational mapping, and the "Razor" view engine are now all included. Obviously using the same assemblies as the "real thing" reduces the possiblity of any differences.
There are also performance and scalability improvements to garbage collection  and runtime optimizations and enhancements to the capabilities of Mono on Mac OS X and iOS, including the prospect of having F# 3.0 bundled with them. See the Release Notes for more details.

There is the wider issue of the place of Mono in the new landscape being created by Microsoft. There is a very real sense in which Mono carries the enthusiasm for .NET which Microsoft seems to have lost. However Mono isn't the real thing and many programmers are unsure of it. Certainly there is little point in switching to Mono under Windows unless you really need the open source or cross platform aspects.

However what about Mono 4?
Even with limited resources the Mono team might well run out of Microsoft sourced innovations to incorporate into the new framework. Will Mono then become the front runner in .NET development?

Source: I Programmer

As the Microsoft developer world turns: Guidance for the perplexed

Microsoft is in the midst of launching a host of new operating systems and tools this summer/fall. So what's a developer to choose to build apps and services for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012 and/or Windows Azure?

There are familiar, legacy .NET tools and frameworks available, like Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation. There are newer and less familiar (to many Microsoft developers) options including XAML and HTML5/JavaScript. And on the server side, there's ASP.Net for building server-based Web applications.

Microsoft tools vendor Telerik has delivered a new version of its Platform Guidance document that aims to help developers sort through the myriad choices, based on the type of application they are developing. The eight-page Platform Guidance PDF is a free download, available as of September 18.

The document doesn't advocate abandonning tried but true platforms like Silverlight, even though Microsoft seems to be trying to wean developers from that platform by downplaying it and declining to comment on its future, beyond committing to support Silverlight 5 through 2021. (Ditto with WinForms, which Telerik notes isn't the best choice for "greenfield" development, but which still has its place.)

Here's the Cliff Notes version of what the Telerik principals are recommending for development of each type of app:

Desktop Applications – WPF
Dashboard/Reporting Applications – ASP.NET MVC (Model View Controller) with HTML5
Data-Driven Websites – ASP.NET MVC and Web API
Interactive Web Applications (Forms over Data) – ASP.NET WebForms
Mobile Website – ASP.NET MVC HTML5
Tablet Applications – XAML and .NET

The Platform Guidance document includes a chart to help developers evaluate whether XAML or HTML is a better choice for building a Metro-Style -- now know officially as "Windows Store" -- application:

At only eight pages, the Guidance document isn't meant to be a be-all/end-all work. But it's a starting point, which offers some much-needed suggestions for those attempting to navigate the rapidly changing Microsoft development waters.

Telerik Adds Tablet Support to Kendo UI HTML5, JavaScript Tool

Telerik announced that its Kendo UI framework for building HTML5 and JavaScript mobile apps and sites now supports both tablet app development and server-side ASP.NET MVC development.

Telerik, a maker of application development software, has announced a major update of its Kendo UI, a unified framework for building HTML5 and JavaScript mobile apps and sites.

This release includes a set of controls and widgets for creating rich iPad user interfaces, as well as the first in a series of server-side wrappers to enable developers to incorporate and configure Kendo UI via familiar server-side programming.

On July 11, Telerik announced Kendo UI Complete, a collection of Web, DataViz and management tools for professional software developers.

In an attempt to avoid fragmentation, more developers are focusing on Web standards such as HTML5 and JavaScript to build software that can run anywhere and reach the largest possible audience. Kendo UI’s unified framework incorporates adaptive rendering capabilities and leverages the latest in CSS3, HTML5 and JavaScript Web standards to automatically adapt a mobile app’s native look-and-feel on any smartphone and tablet device, while delivering broad support for all major browsers.

“With this release, Kendo UI moves beyond mobile phones to help developers create experiences with HTML5 that look native on the iPad and other tablets,” Todd Anglin, vice president of HTML5 Web and Mobile Tools at Telerik, said in a statement. “In addition, we’ve added important updates across the Kendo UI framework, including the first in a series of server-side wrappers that further equip developers to quickly and cost effectively create advanced apps and mobile sites with HTML5 and JavaScript.”

According to IDC, more than 107 million tablets will ship this year, with nearly two-thirds of those expected to be iPads. By adding iPad-specific widgets to Kendo UI Mobile, the company provides developers with a streamlined way to build native-like apps leveraging HTML5 for the market’s No. 1 tablet.

HTML5 is quickly becoming the dominant cross-platform runtime, with ABI Research forecasting the installed base for mobile devices with HTML5 to grow from approximately 500 million in 2011, to more than 2.1 billion in 2016. Gartner further forecasts that worldwide tablet sales will grow by 98 percent in 2012 to 119 million units.

Kendo UI Mobile already helps developers build HTML5 or JavaScript apps that automatically transform to the native look-and-feel of iOS, Android and BlackBerry. With this update, developers can use Kendo Mobile UI’s adaptive rendering to target multiple phone and tablet platforms with a single UI code base, thus eliminating the traditional challenges that developers face of manually researching and then combining all the plug-ins and frameworks and libraries needed to build mobile apps.

This new release also adds server-side helpers for ASP.NET MVC, enabling developers to incorporate and configure Kendo UI via familiar server-side programming, while still producing apps that benefit from the client-side power of Kendo UI and HTML5. While Kendo UI works with any server-side technology, some developers are less comfortable in JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), but feel very capable when working inside a server-side language. These wrappers ensure that developers who prefer to build apps from their own server-side language can do so quickly.

Moreover, developers using the new ASP.NET MVC wrappers can take full advantage of server-side framework features and coding conveniences, while targeting both desktop and mobile devices using the cross-platform power of modern HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. Kendo UI Complete for ASP.NET MVC is the first of what the company plans to be a collection of server-side helpers for different platforms, including Java and PHP, all designed to maximize developer productivity with HTML5.

In addition to the new iPad widgets and server wrappers, there are updates across the entire Kendo UI framework, including new and improved widgets and charts in Kendo UI Web and DataViz, enabling the presentation of rich, touch-aware visual information on any browser and any device.

There are new Popover and Split View controls, as well as Action Sheet and Modal View widgets for Kendo UI Mobile. Telerik added new Donut (or torus) and Bubble chart types, as well as date axis support and additional arrow types for the Radial Gauge in Kendo UI DataViz. And the company added a combined DateTimePicker widget, column reordering and resizing on the Grid, and support for hierarchical and relational data in the DataSource for Kendo UI Web.

DiscountASP.NET Offers Free Web Matrix v2 RC beta Hosting Sandbox with node.js

Global ASP.NET hosting innovator, DiscountASP.NET offers free WebMatrix v2 RC beta hosting sandbox with node.js support to the web developer community.

DiscountASP.NET, a leading innovator in Windows Server hosting, announces a free Web Matrix v2 RC beta hosting sandbox program for the web developer community to experience the next-generation version of Web Matrix. This new free beta hosting program also supports node.js.

Microsoft WebMatrix is an all-in-one Web development tool that allows web developers to easily install open source web applications, or use web templates as a starting point to develop customized web sites. The most recent Web Matrix v2 RC includes enhancements to more easily install many open source applications, adds support for more languages like PHP, HTML5 and node.js, adds support for developing mobile-friendly web sites, and adds support for writing extensions which can be made available in a new extension gallery.

“Microsoft continues to simplify and expand the web development experience with their next-generation tools like Web Matrix,” said Takeshi Eto, VP Marketing and Business Development at DiscountASP.NET. “Our free Web Matrix v2 RC hosting sandbox will provide the web developer community an opportunity to test out Web Matrix along with node.js.”

The free sandbox hosting program is a limited program offered as an open beta on a first come first serve basis. The beta hosting sandbox comes with 50 MB of disk space and 50 MB of SQL Server 2008 R2 database space and 50 MB of MySQL database space. This platform is only intended for testing purposes and should not be used for a production web site.

Microsoft developers’ conference begins in Thiruvanthapuram today

The Kerala Microsoft Users Group (K-MUG) will organise the Microsoft developers’ conference, DevCon 2012, at the Park Centre in Technopark here today.

Marlabs, a leading provider of IT technology services, will sponsor the event, a company spokesman announced here.

Considered the largest Microsoft tech event in Kerala, the conference will focus on emerging Microsoft technologies such as Windows 8, Windows Phone, Responsive Web Development, and Cloud and Mobile technologies.

Mr Anil Raghavan, Chief Delivery Officer, Marlabs, will inaugurate the event, and will speak on ‘The role of technology in transforming rural India.’

DevCon 2012 will feature interactive sessions with a number of Microsoft speakers and Microsoft most valuable professionals.

Some of the sessions planned for the event include XNA-based game development for Windows Phone, Visual Studio 11, Windows Phone App Development - HTML5, Hybrid & Cross Platform, and ASP.NET Web APIs.

There will also be a Windows Phone App contest where participants stand to win a Nokia Lumia 800, the spokesman added.

New course of Global Knowledge teaches HTML 5 to Students

Global Knowledge, worldwide leader in IT and business training, today announced the availability of a new Microsoft course, HTML5 Programming (M10953). Students in the three-day course will learn to use HTML5, and they will gain the knowledge and skills needed to develop HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript web applications using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.

Students will learn to use HTML5 to create a web application within the Visual Studio 2010 SP1 integrated development environment. They will use new HTML5 semantic and structural elements, and they will create web forms using the validation capabilities of the input types and attributes in HTML5.

Using advanced CSS and CSS3, students will create layouts and styles, and they will integrate graphics and multimedia into web pages using Canvas, SVG, video, and audio elements. They will work with the HTML5 Web Storage API and advanced HTML5 JavaScript APIs, including drag-and-drop, File, and Geolocation APIs. Students will also create a web site using WebMatrix and ASP.NET MVC 3.

HTML5 Programming (M10953) is available in classrooms, live over the Internet in a virtual classroom, and as a private on-site course that can be tailored to the needs of a student's organization. Learn more about the new HTML5 course and explore the extensive catalog of Microsoft training available from Global Knowledge at www.globalknowledge.com.

Microsoft Users DevCon returns to Trivandrum next weekend

The Kerala Microsoft Users Group (K-MUG) will be organising their next Developers Conference, DevCon 2012 on May 19, 2012 at the Park Centre in Technopark, Trivandrum. Billed as the largest Microsoft tech event in Kerala, DevCon 2012 would see a large number of software professionals engage and collaborate with Microsoft MVPs and other IT peers. The key attractions this time would be the Windows Phone and Windows 8 sessions.

Interacting with Kerala IT News, Sreejumon K P, one of the organisers, said, “There are three tracks on Windows Phone and I am sure this will attract many .NET developers into the Windows Phone ecosystem and application development. For the first time we are also doing a preview of Windows 8, the upcoming edition of the Windows Operating System from Microsoft, for the techies in Kerala.

Access Any Data Any Where, XNA based game development for Windows Phone, Visual Studio 11, Windows Phone App Development - HTML5, Hybrid & Cross Platform, ASP.NET Web APIs and Tips and Best Practices for Windows Phone Development are some of the sessions planned for the Developer Conference.

“We have an idea contest as well happening. The shortlisted attendees will present their ideas and a panel will select the top three ideas. The topper would get a Nokia Lumia 800 and all the great ideas will get support from Nokia to develop their application and submit in to Market place”, added Sreejumon.

The last Developers Conference to be held in Thiruvananthapuram was DevCon 2010 in July, 2010. Check out the DevCon 2012 homepage to get details about the sessions, speakers and for registration.