Mix 07 has done nothing but ensure that I have a bunch of speculation and no sound grasp of the future. I am currently referring to the advent of the cross platform Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR). The DLR will serve as the core engine for Silverlight and helps provide MS with an in road into the world of Mac\Linux\whatever ... I wonder what Mac users think of that?
Jim Hugunins is a pioneer in the field of dynamic languages and was recruited by MS for that very reason. Here is his overview:
The DLR is about giving you the best experience for your language - true to the language, excellent tools, performance and seamless integration with a wealth of libraries and platforms. The essential benefits of the DLR are about sharing. It lets language implementers share standard features rather than rebuilding them from scratch. This lets them focus on the features that make a given language unique rather than on reinventing yet another GC system. It lets developers share code regardless of the language the code is implemented in and to use whatever language they prefer regardless of the language preferred by the environment they want to run in. Coupled with the Silverlight 1.1 platform announced today, it even lets languages share a sandboxed security model and browser integration. This means that developers building browser-based applications can now use their preferred language even for client-side code.
I must admit I am very impressed but I am forced to wonder if this just a precursor to CLR being used cross platform. If my wild speculation is indeed the case then the MONO project is as good as dead!
"When I came back to Dublin I was courtmartialed in my absence and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence." - Brendan Behan
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