Linux distributor Novell has announced the official release of Mono 1.2. The latest version of Novell's increasingly popular open source .NET implementation features performance and stability improvements, improved Java functionality, and support for Microsoft's WinForms API.
An important milestone leading up to Novell's goal of .NET 2.0 support, the inclusion of the WinForms API in Mono 1.2 significantly simplifies the process of porting .NET applications from Windows to Linux and other supported platforms. Developers can now use WinForms to produce cross-platform compatible user interfaces for .NET applications. Mono 1.2 could potentially facilitate broader deployment of existing .NET applications, and reduce development overhead associated with cross-platform compatible desktop software. Here at Ars, we have been watching the progress of Mono WinForms development for several months. Mono has come a long way since some of the early GDI examples where demonstrated early this year.