This week in DotGNU

This part of DotGNU contains a C# compiler, runtime engine, and related tools. There is as always good, steady progress.

DotGNU SEE

This Secure Execution Environment allows bytecode to be executed securely on the end user’s machine, allowing in particular the end user to execute webservice software locally, so that no-one can be locked into using the software as a webservice instead of running it locally. There has not been any progress with the code this week (the code is written in C++), but the Steering Committee has been able to resolve some internal misunderstandings related to the need for an official Windows port of DotGNU SEE. They’re (reluctantly!) going to ask Windows programmers to help with this. (The goals are to further the development and use of Free Software in general, and to enhance the GNU operating system in particular, not just make a popular collection of software. We want to provide users with a way to get more jobs done in full freedom, not just with some useful software packages. However, in order for DotGNU to do its job, it needs to be popular. For that reason, we are giving Windows support a somewhat higher priority level than it would normally have in a GNU project.)

Authentication, Authorization and Virtual Identities

The FrePort project of John le’Brecage is going forward, and it is now listed at http://dotgnu.org/proposals/active.html – This is will not be DotGNU’s only auth project, I expect that at least one or two others will follow soon.

DotGNU – Jabber meetings

Adam Theo is organizing weekly meetings for discussing possibilities of using the Jabber protocol suite in DotGNU. These meetings are well-attended, and things are starting to happen. I expect that an auth project will come out of this, and also a system (consisting of sysadmin tools and middleware) for managing the distributed flow of information through a network of webservice servers.

““This week in DotGNU” is Copyright (C) 2001 by Norbert Bollow. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire issue is permitted in any medium or format, provided this notice is preserved.“