[DotGNU]dotgnu concept, trying to get a hand on it...

[fils]

I have been looking over the DotGnu and Mono efforts for
some time now and the various elements of the .NET effort
by Microsoft.  I have some issue with the Mono effort and
there relationship to Passport of other MS controlled factors.

DotGnu, however, look very interesting to me and I am toying
with trying to budget time to help.  However, I have to resolve 
some questions in my mind which I don't seem to be able to 
get resolved.  I am a developer of Java based web applications
that support distance education and distance science efforts
and am looking at this as a environment to develope solutions
in.

Many of the aspects of the DotGnu effort on the surface (which 
is as far as I have gotten) seem like elements from the Java 
environment.  The virtual machine aspect (JVM and pnet I guess
it would be), the recently talked about distributed file 
system would seem like the Linda type JavaSpaces effort and the 
distributed computing would seem to relate to RMI.  

OK, none of these will be perfect comparisons, and I donr't want to
imply I just read dotGnu as a philosophically pure re-implementation of 
Java.   However, I guess I am looking for the fundamental technical aspects 
of the dotGnu effort that distinguish it (apart of the licenses aspects, 
which I  agree are not trivial, but not what I am looking at) from the 
Java environment.  

Is it the intent of the DotGnu effort to replicate all the aspects of the class
libraries that will grow around .NET?  Personally I wonder if
not even bothering to do this is the best track and just build dotGnu?s 
own structure.  Obviously this is daunting effort.  Look at the class 
library for Java with Swing, J3d, JMF, JDBC,  etc. etc.  There is of course no 
reason not to think the open source community can do this though (to me
anyway).  

I guess at a fundamental level I see Microsoft in some part with .NET
as a answer to Java (yes, Passport and Hailstorm are unique (and scary))
by Sun.  It (.NET) is not compatible with Java and the JVM, 
but provides similar programming and behavioral characteristics. 

Is dotGnu the open source counterpart to Java and .NET in that we will 
need/hope to see the development of a larger API flow like we see now with 
Java and will likely see soon with .NET just by virtue of the amount of money
Microsoft will through at it?  Obviously DotGnu benefits from the experience 
and efforts of these projects to attempt to build a better environment
technically.  

ok, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of this 
effort in the hopes I have some ability to help out...

take care all, I look forward to reading your replys
doug