| Abstract |
This document describes how to install mono on your Linux system from the source and describes some simple experiments you can perform with this installation. |
Mono is an open source implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) specified in ECMA standard 335. It comes with a C# compiler and provides an extensible platform to develop and run applications that are interoperable with Microsoft .NET.
Mono is not finished--it is a project still under development. As a result, installation and configuration may not be as smooth as you will be used to from other Linux applications. Nevertheless, mono is in a state that will allow you to get it up and running and gain experience with it--which is, I would suggest, a very smart thing to do.
This document is limited in the following sense: it describes how to download a 'stable' version of mono as a 'tarball' and get it to run on your computer. I'm also assuming you run mono on Linux rather than on Windows. All the examples have been tested on a 'vanilla' Red Hat 7.3 installation.
There are two items this document will not cover: the first is how to self host the mcs compiler under linux and the second is the graphical user environment which is implemented as GTK#. These two interesting topics are the subject of two more howto's that I'm planning.
This document is also less useful for two types of people.
If you are a very inexperienced linux user and want to know what mono is all about, there is an easier way to install mono. Go to mono.baselabs.org and download the rpm's ready for installation on your system. This site also runs a tutorial that is worth reading.
If you are a very experienced user wanting to contribute to the mono code, you should probably regularly do a CVS download. At the moment, the mono code grows very fast, and the 'stable' releases still appear too slowly.
This document is aimed at the mono beginner, and aims to present a complete view of a minimal installation, which will allow you to experiment with mono to some degree. It also describes some of those experiments. We expect that after reading this document you'll go on to do either of two things:
Continue to contribute to the mono project in some shape or form. The website has some ideas and suggestions under the heading 'Contributing'.
Continue to write applications that run in mono.
We hope this document will be useful to you in your first steps with mono. Happy hacking!
This document is expected to grow into a full 'running mono howto' over time. As of yet, it does not really discuss some of the excellent efforts of others to package mono into an rpm or deb and prepare it for easy installation. It is our aim to include this in future versions of this document.
This document assumes you are somewhat familiar with the architecture of the Common Language Infrastructure and the C# programming language.
To compile mono on your system, you will also have to satisfy some dependencies on other software. A list of these are given on the mono download page. Read through this list to see if you've got all components.
On a practical note, I had no dependency issues with the installation of mono 0.12 on a 'standard issue' Red Hat 7.3 build.
No liability for the contents of this document can be accepted. Use the concepts, examples and information at your own risk. There may be errors and inaccuracies, that could be damaging to your system. Proceed with caution, and although this is highly unlikely, the author(s) do not take any responsibility.
All copyrights are held by their by their respective owners, unless specifically noted otherwise. Use of a term in this document should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Naming of particular products or brands should not be seen as endorsements.
This document was originally created by Jaime Anguiano Olarra, but has been extensively rewritten. Credits are due to
Jaime Anguiano Olarra <jaime@geneura.ugr.es> for creating the original version of this document, and in fact the document that got me through installing mono for the first time.
My partner Margaret for support on my more exotic ventures.
Feedback is most certainly welcome for this document. Send your additions, comments and criticisms to the following email address: <mono-docs-list@ximian.com>. I am lurking on this list and will maintain this document as required.
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