Novell announced the release of Mono version 1.2, a significant advancement in the expansion of the Mono project and an important milestone toward compatibility with version 2.0 of the .NET framework. Mono 1.2 adds support for the Microsoft Windows Forms API to more easily port .NET client-side applications to Linux. Other enhancements in this release include virtual machine upgrades and enhanced Java* support, significant performance, memory consumption and stability improvements, and support for many .NET 2.0 features.

With this new release, traditional Microsoft developers can leverage their existing skill sets to use the Mono framework to effortlessly make their .NET desktop and server applications available to the fast-growing Linux market. With full Mono support for the Windows Forms API, the graphical user interface portion of the Microsoft .NET development framework, developers can now bring their existing Microsoft-based client applications to Linux while significantly minimizing the time and effort required to migrate these applications. The inclusion of Windows Forms capabilities in this version is an important milestone in the expansion of the Mono project.

Not only does it provide corporate IT and ISV developers with operating system alternatives for hosting existing .NET applications, but it also opens up the possibility of new desktop applications on Linux. Novell's award-winning SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, which debuted in July of this year, includes a number of new Mono-based desktop Linux applications such as the Banshee music player, F-spot photo management tool and the Beagle desktop search tool.

"With this release, we've solved an important issue by making it easier to translate the Microsoft user interfaces to Linux, an important contribution in increasing the number of client-side Linux applications," said Miguel de Icaza, vice president of developer platforms at Novell and maintainer of the Mono project. "Now feature complete, Mono has matured to the point that we believe the migration from ASP.NET and Windows Forms to Linux is easier than ever before and gives developers access to all the added benefits of Linux."

OTEE used Mono to create their game development system, Unity, which was recently awarded a runner-up Apple Design Award for "Best Use of Mac OS X Graphics" at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference. "OTEE relies on Mono's cross-language capability," said Joachim Ante, CTO and co-founder of OTEE. "Unity's developer community comes from a wide range of backgrounds and Mono allowed us to give our developers a choice between JavaScript, C# and Boo, resulting in a very short learning curve and immediate familiarity with scripting in Unity. Mono version 1.2 represents a significant leap forward in stability and performance and will make it even easier to build feature-rich cross-platform applications."

Versora provides software products and professional integration services that yield a cost effective and seamless transition path from Microsoft Windows to Linux. Versora used Mono to migrate their flagship Progression Desktop product from Windows to Linux in record time. "Mono is really attractive for Windows developers because they can carry over their existing skills to Linux," said Jon Walker, CTO at Versora. "The feature and performance enhancements in version 1.2 will only bolster Mono's reputation as a mature, viable solution for Windows to Linux migration."