Imagine the power of running code created by Microsoft development tools on a Linux machine or including an open source component in a proprietary product. In an interview, author Brian Nantz explains how to do it.
As they gain experience, application developers often establish a preferred procedure, or a standard modus operandi that carries them through the unpredictable project cycle. This familiar IDE coupled with pet methods make up the security blanket responsible for producing whatever modicum of comfort a developer feels during the inevitable coding crunch. However, that familiarity can also lead to stagnation and stubbornness when new, and potentially better, ways to produce software become available.
One innovation in application development that programmers should not ignore involves the melding of open source development tools with the Microsoft .NET development environment. While on the surface the combination seems to defy common sense, when scrutinised from the cold hard perspective of "what works best," evidence shows that the mixing of seemingly incompatible development universes produces a fruitful relationship.
In his book, Open Source .NET Development, published by Addison-Wesley, author Brian Nantz explains how open source programming tools like nAnt, nUnit, and nDoc can be used to enhance development within the .NET Framework. The benefits of combining the best each has to offer should not be summarily dismissed by any serious developer. Perhaps it is time to get out of your rut and move beyond your current comfort zone with some different programming tools.
This book shows you the benefits of this approach with practical examples and in-depth examinations of open source .NET projects already in progress. TechRepublic has made Chapter 2, "Open Source and the .NET Platform" available for free download. This chapter will give you an overview of some of the potential benefits achievable when open source tools are combined with .NET application development.
In the following interview, TechRepublic asked author Brian Nantz for his opinions concerning application development using a combination of open source and .NET tools to form a better overall IDE.
Q: During the past six months, we have seen an increasing interest among TechRepublic and Builder members in open source applications. The gist of the member discussion seems to revolve around the coming together of two concepts: proprietary software is expensive, and open source is a viable alternative. Your book seems to combine this idea quite nicely. What are the overall benefits of open source development using Microsoft .NET?
A: I think the biggest advantage of open source is that the source is open. I know that sounds a little trite but it is true. A developer can learn so much from inspecting other people's code and there are so many code bases out there to learn from. Not only is proprietary software obviously more expensive, but many times companies are not very responsive to fixing bugs they consider to be minor but are wreaking havoc in your program. Then there is always the chance that the company can go out of business. These companies actually want you to pay, in many instances, a yearly fee for the right to their code if they go out of business!
The uniqueness of open source code written using .NET is that C# is an ISO standard (whereas other popular open source languages are not) and that it makes open source much more readily available to traditional Microsoft windows developers. These developers may not have even considered open source before.
Open source software developers often have an evangelistic perspective on software development. The zeal of this perspective often includes dismissing anything Microsoft. Yet your book clearly shows that many open source developers are using .NET to develop their software. Do you think the practicalities and benefits of open source .NET development will sway the more passionately anti-Microsoft developers in the near term or will it be a long term process?
In my experience, most of the anti-Microsoft crowd is opposed to Microsoft's business practices not necessarily their technologies or the people themselves. I don't think Microsoft and open source have a bitter hatred for each other. I have seen Microsoft employees using open source products like NUnit and Firefox, and I have also seen prominent open source proponents using OWA/Exchange to remotely check their corporate e-mails.
Because of the industry-wide interest in Web services and interoperability, I have seen Microsoft, IBM, and the Apache group very interested in working together and learning from each other.
Security is an all-consuming concern for organisations recently. Secure application development plays a major role in overall security and is a major component of any project. What security advantages are offered by the use of open source .NET development?
Security and open source is a huge topic. In my book I have a section on "Is Open Source more Secure," where I cite a couple of studies and give some insights from my experience. The conclusion is basically that this issue requires a lot of common sense.
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