Stephen Walli an ex-Microsoftie weights in on the Mono BOF at the PDC:
They published the CLR and C# language specifications as international standards through ECMA and ISO, but it still looks like a proprietary controlled technology to the customer base. Standards are a message in the marketplace that encourage multiple implementations. As long as there is only one commercial implementation, there is no standard, and the customers know it regardless of the number of trees killed to produce specifications.
He goes on saying that we should take our impromptu gathering beyond the hallway meeting into something larger:
Instead of gathering in a hallway like stubborn refugees, get a meeting room in a neighbouring hotel, or take over a bar like a Dick's Last Resort.
[..]
Hand everyone a copy of the latest SuSE distribution, and whatever Mono tools can be put together. Hand out t-shirts to the first 100 people through the door and make them GREAT t-shirts.
Posted on 27 Aug 2005