However, I think Mono has gotten to the point where it might actually be the solution to all my Java problems, and there's an irony.
Whether you're right or not, it's interresting to note that mono doesn't actually solve any of your problems, which afaik boils down to distribution:
- Not officially allowed to ship tweaked VMs embedded into my products. Looking at the Sun license this is actually a bit of a grey area but the fact is it's not endorsed and my efforts to get permission to do this have been faced variously with silence, ridicule, vague promises to contact someone about it, or hostility. Why do I need to do this anyway? Because Webstart is shit for my customers - period - and I won't here another word said about the subject by anyone not in my position. Talk to the hand, baby.
And mono solves this how?
- Proper generics, delegates, etc. and a host of other C# niceness. C# has some very, very cool language. It's as if a magic fairy got fed up with all the annoying bits in Java and fixed them. And then released the language to a standards body!
Irrelevant IMO. The productivity gains between Java and C# is next to 0. And it is certianly not something that would make me change language because I want to make games!
- Easy compilation down to native code. .net was designed to allow this kind of thing. Sure I'll lose 10% performance. But as the Java freaks in here are so happy to point out, who cares when I'm not using anywhere near 100% CPU even on weedy machines?
And this differs from java how?
- Easy integration with native libraries. Imagine just how easy LWMGL would be to code when 90% of the glue needn't be written, as Mono can call GL directly for most of its calls.
Who cares? LWJGL is already "done" - point is moot
- The extreme mismanagement of all things Sun. Endless meetings to discuss minutiea of GL bindings, for chrissakes! A blithering CEO without a clue!! The ever-mysterious GTG who've been on the case for well over a year now with nothing to actually show for it!!! Where's my million bucks guys? Do you want to showcase Java or just let it all happen by accident? See the pioneer over there? He's the guy with the arrow in his back! It ain't gonna happen without proper money!
And Microsoft is going to manage the game tools better than sun for indies? - fat chance. All of their new stuff (XNA) is minded towards AAA titles.
Is Mono available on Mac ?