2001-07-07 Aaron Weber <aaron@ximian.com>

	* doc/thanks: style, grammar. (FIXME: "a to read"? clarify)
	* doc/testing style, grammar.
	* doc/status: same.
	* doc/runtime: same.
	* doc/resources: same.
	* doc/rationale: same.
	* doc/ideas: same.
	* doc/gcc-frontend: same. (FIXME: clarify)
	* doc/faq: same. (FIXME: merge w/cheridy's version)
	* doc/documentation: same.
	* doc/class-library: same.
	* doc/index: same.

svn path=/trunk/mono/; revision=67

1 files changed, 81 insertions, 96 deletions

diff --git a/doc/faq b/doc/faq
index b9678e61ab0..f096fe3ada5 100644
--- a/doc/faq
+++ b/doc/faq
@@ -1,21 +1,21 @@
 ** Basics
 
-Q: Is Mono a .NET implementation?
+Q: Is Mono the same as Microsoft's .NET initiative?
    
 A: No.  .NET is a company-wide initiative at Microsoft that
-   encompasses many different areas (the .NET development framework,
-   Passport, Biztalk, their new server products, and anything that is
-   remotely connected to .NET gets the ".NET-stamping" treatment).
-   Some components of this initiative have been announced and some
-   others are in the works.
+   encompasses many different areas. The .NET development framework,
+   Passport, Biztalk, new server products, and anything that is
+   remotely connected to .NET gets the ".NET-stamping" treatment.
+   Some components of Microsoft's .NET initiative have been announced
+   and some others are in the works.
 
-Q: What is Mono exactly?
-   
-A: Mono is a project to implement various technologies developed by
-   Microsoft that have now been submitted to the ECMA Standards Body
-   for standardization.
+  Mono is a project to implement several technologies developed by
+   Microsoft that have now been submitted to the ECMA Standards Body.   
 
-   It contains a number of components:
+Q: What technologies are included in Mono?
+   
+A: Mono contains a number of components useful for building new
+   software:
 
 	<ul>
 		* A Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) virtual
@@ -25,11 +25,12 @@ A: Mono is a project to implement various technologies developed by
 		* A class library that can work with any language
 		  which works on the CLR.
 
-		* A compiler for the C# language, in the future we might work
-	  	  on other compilers that target the Common Language Runtime. 
+		* A compiler for the C# language.  In the future we
+		  might work on other compilers that target the Common
+		  Language Runtime.
 
-		  In Windows there are compilers that target the
-		  virtual machine for
+		  Windows has compilers that target the
+		  virtual machine from
 		  href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/net/thirdparty/default.asp#lang">a
 		  number of languages:</a> Managed C++, Java Script,
 		  Eiffel, Component Pascal, APL, Cobol, Oberon, Perl,
@@ -45,10 +46,10 @@ A: Mono is a project to implement various technologies developed by
    This means for example that if you define a class to do algebraic
    manipulation in C#, that class can be reused from any other
    language that supports the CLI.  You could create a class in C#,
-   subclass it in C++ and instantiate it on an Eiffel program. 
+   subclass it in C++ and instantiate it in an Eiffel program. 
 
-   A single object system, threading system, class libraries, garbage
-   collection system can be shared across all these languages. 
+   A single object system, threading system, class libraries, and
+   garbage collection system can be shared across all these languages.
    
 Q: Where can I find the specification for these technologies?
    
@@ -64,10 +65,7 @@ A: Yes, we will be implementing the APIs of the .NET Framework SDK
 
 Q: What does Mono stand for?
    
-A: Mono stands for `Monkey' in Spanish, you can also think of it as
-   monocromatic as that is what my text editor looks like. 
-
-   We like monkeys.
+A: Mono is the word for `Monkey' in Spanish. We like monkeys.
 
 Q: When will you ship it?
 
@@ -75,12 +73,12 @@ A: We do not know when the code will be shipped.  The more
    contributions we get to the project, the sooner it will ship.
 
    A rough estimate is that we might be able to run our C# compiler on
-   Linux by the end of the year.  This is exciting because we will be
-   running the Windows Executable generated by a Microsoft .NET
-   compiler on the Linux platform. 
+   Linux by the end of the year.  That means running the Windows
+   Executable generated by a Microsoft .NET compiler on the Linux
+   platform.
 
    We expect that doing GUI applications will require more work on the
-   class libraries, and that could take another six months.
+   class libraries. That could take another six months.
 
 Q: How can I contribute?
 
@@ -88,13 +86,13 @@ A: Check the <a href="contributing.html">contributing</a> section.
 
 Q: You guys should innovate instead of copying.
 
-A: We are working towards giving free software developers better tools
-   to create better products.  We have decided that we should spend our
-   limited resources towards implementing an existing specification
-   instead of designing and implementing our own.
+A: 
+   We have decided that we should spend our limited resources towards
+   implementing an existing specification instead of designing and
+   implementing our own.
 
-   Designing and implementing our own is possible, but it makes little
-   sense to roll our own just because a specification comes from a
+   Designing and implementing our own would be possible, but it doesn't make
+   sense to do that just because the specification comes from a
    proprietary vendor.  
 
 ** Ximian
@@ -104,7 +102,8 @@ Q: Why is Ximian working on .NET?
 A: We are interested in providing the best tools for programmers to
    develop applications for Free Operating Systems.  
 
-   Please read the project <a href="rationale.html">rationale's background</a>
+   For more information, read the project <a
+   href="rationale.html">rationale</a> page.
 
 Q: Will Ximian be able to take on a project of this size?  
 
@@ -115,44 +114,32 @@ A: Ximian will not be able to taken on the whole project on its own.
 
 Q: What pieces will Ximian be working on?
 
-A: We will devote most of our resources to work on the pieces which
-   are on the critical path to release a development and execution
+A: We will focus on building a development and execution
    environment.  
 
-   The idea is to get Mono to a state of usability that would allow
+   The idea is to get Mono to a state of that would allow
    third parties to actually be able to use it real-world development.
 
-   On the other hand, if you have Windows you could start contributing
-   now to the class libraries by writting them in C#.
-
 ** Mono and .NET
 
 Q: If applications use Mono, does that mean that I have to pay a service fee?
    
 A: No.  Mono is not related to Microsoft's initiative of
-   software-as-a-service.  Please read questions <a href="#q1">1</a> and <a href="#q2">2</a>. 
-
-Q: If you implement .NET, wont I depend on Microsoft Passport to run my software?
-
-A: No, the .NET Framework is a runtime infrastructure and collection of class
-   libraries.  Passport may be required to access certain web services written
-   for that framework, but only if the programmer chooses Passport as the
-   authentication mechanism.
+   software-as-a-service. 
 
-Q: Isn't .NET something else?
+Q: If you implement .NET, will I depend on Microsoft Passport to run my software?
 
-A: You are a bit confused.  It is easy to be confused, as Microsoft
-   has been naming anything they have produced recently with `.NET'.
+A: No.  The .NET Framework is a runtime infrastructure and collection
+   of class libraries.  Passport may be required to access certain web
+   services written for that framework, but only if the programmer
+   chooses Passport as the authentication mechanism.
 
-Q: But .NET does not exist, it is vaporware. 
+Q: Is .NET just a bunch of marketing slogans?
    
 A: Although the `.NET initiative' is still quite nebulous, The .NET Framework
    has been available for some time.  Mono is not an implementation of the .NET
    initiative, just the development framework.
 
-   Please refer to questions <a href="#q1">1</a> and <a
-   href="#q2">2</a> for more details.
-
 ** Passport
 
 Q: Is this a free implementation of Passport?
@@ -160,21 +147,20 @@ Q: Is this a free implementation of Passport?
 A: No.  Passport is part of Microsoft's Hailstorm initiative.  Mono
    is just a runtime, a compiler and a set of class libraries. 
 
-Q: But there is a  System.Web.Security.PassportIdentity class, that must mean
-   that my software will depend on it.
+Q: Will the System.Web.Security.PassportIdentity class, mean
+   that my software will depend on Passport?
    
 A: No.  That just means that applications might use that API to
    contact a Passport site.  
 
    As long as your application does not use Passport, you will not
-   need passport.  
+   need Passport.  
 
-   Furthermore, we can envision our implementation of such a class to
-   be a set of dummy functions, or have a different implementation
-   than contacting passport.com.
+   It might even be possible to implement that class with
+   a set of dummy functions, or use an alternate Passport implementation.
 
-   It is too early to We do not know at this time whether the Passport
-   protocol is documented and whether we will be able to talk to
+   We do not know at this time whether the Passport protocol is
+   documented and whether we will be able to talk to
    passport.com 
 
 ** GNOME
@@ -183,7 +169,7 @@ Q: How is this related to GNOME?
    
 A: In a number of ways:
 
-	* To implement some of the functionality, we will use existing
+	* Mono will use existing
 	  components that have been developed for GNOME (Gtk+, Libart,
 	  Gnome-DB and maybe others).
 
@@ -192,23 +178,24 @@ A: In a number of ways:
 
 	* We would like to add support to our CLR implementation to
 	  deal with GObjects (in GNOME 1.x, they are called
-	  GtkObjects).  And allow Mono developers to provide GObjects
+	  GtkObjects), and allow Mono developers to provide GObjects
 	  or use and extend existing GObjects.
 
-Q: Has the GNOME Foundation or the GNOME team have adopted Mono?
+Q: Has the GNOME Foundation or the GNOME team adopted Mono?
 
-A: Mono has not been adopted by anyone at this point, as it is a
-   nascent project, but we hope that the tools that we will provide
-   will be adopted by free software programmers. 
+A: Mono is too new to be adopted by those groups. We hope that the
+   tools that we will provide will be adopted by free software
+   programmers including the GNOME Foundation members and the GNOME
+   project generally.
 
-Q: Should GNOME programmer switch over to Mono?
+Q: Should GNOME programmers switch over to Mono?
 
 A: Mono will not be ready even within the next six months, and a
    complete implementation is probably one year away.  
 
    We encourage GNOME developers to continue using the existing tools,
    libraries and components.  Improvements made to GNOME will have an
-   impact on Mono, as they would be the "backend" for various
+   impact on Mono, as they will provide the "backend" for various
    classes. 
 
 Q: Will Mono include compatibility with Bonobo components?
@@ -226,7 +213,7 @@ A: No.
 
 Q: Is Mono just a new way of writing Web Services?
    
-A: No.  Please refer to the questions <a href="#q1">1</a> and <a href="#q2">2</a>. 1 and 2. 
+A: No.
 
 Q: If this implements the SDK classes, will I be able to write and
    execute .NET Web Services with this?
@@ -242,28 +229,28 @@ Q: What about Soup?
 A: Soup is a library for GNOME applications to create SOAP server and
    SOAP clients.
 
-Q: I want to use CORBA. 
+Q: Can I use CORBA?
 
-A: The CLI contains enough information about a class, that exposing it
-   to other RPC systems (like CORBA) is really simple, and does not
-   even require support from an object.  
+A: Yes. The CLI contains enough information about a class that
+   exposing it to other RPC systems (like CORBA) is really simple, and
+   does not even require support from an object.  
 
    We will be implementing CORBA interoperation as an extension to the
-   Mono classes for the purpose of integrating with Bonobo, just like
+   Mono classes so that we can integrate with Bonobo, just like
    Microsoft provides COM interoperation classes and support
    mechanisms. 
 
 Q: Can I serialize my objects to other things other than XML?
 
-A: You would have to implement your serializer.  Hopefully someone
-   will contribute a different serializer. 
+A: Yes, although the serializing tools have not yet been planned, and
+you would probably have to implement them yourself.
 
 ** Development Tools 
 
 Q: Will it be possible to use the CLI features without using bytecodes
    or the JIT?
 
-A: Yes, the CLI engine will be made available as a shared library.
+A: Yes. The CLI engine will be made available as a shared library.
    The garbage collection engine, the threading abstraction, the
    object system, the dynamic type code system and the JIT will be
    available for C developers to integreate with their applications if
@@ -291,9 +278,9 @@ A: You can get very good tools for doing Java development on free
    Intel also has a Java VM called <a
    href="http://www.intel.com/research/mrl/orp">ORP</a>.
 
-   The JVM is not designed to be a general purpose virtual machine, it
-   is optimized for the Java language.  The Common Intermediate
-   Language (CIL) on the other hand is designed to be a target for a
+   The JVM is not designed to be a general purpose virtual machine.
+   The Common Intermediate Language (CIL), on the other hand, is
+   designed to be a target for a
    wide variety of programming languages, and has a set of rules
    designed to be optimal for JITers.
 
@@ -317,20 +304,16 @@ Q: Would you allow other classes other than those in the
 A: Yes.  The Microsoft class collection is very big, but it is by no
    means complete.  It would be nice to have a port of `Camel' (the
    Mail API used by Evolution inspired by Java Mail) for Mono
-   applications. 
+   applications.
 
-   Look for more <a href="ideas.html">ideas</a>.
+   For more information on extending Mono, see our <a
+   href="ideas.html">ideas</a> page.
 
 ** Mono and portability
 
 Q: Will Mono only work on Linux?
 
-A: This is a free software project, that means that the direction of
-   the project is mostly set by those who contribute to it.  If you
-   want to steer the direction, the best way of doing this is through
-   a patch to the sources.
-
-   Currently, we are doing our work on Linux-based systems and
+A: Currently, we are doing our work on Linux-based systems and
    Windows.  We do not expect many Linux-isms in the code, so it
    should be easy to port Mono to other UNIX variants.   
 
@@ -339,12 +322,12 @@ Q: What about Mono on non X-based systems?
 A: Our main intention at Ximian is to be able to develop GNOME
    applications with Mono, but if you are interested in providing a
    port of the Winform classes to other platforms (frame buffer or
-   MacOS X for example), we would gladly integrate them, as far as
+   MacOS X for example), we would gladly integrate them, as long
    they are under a Free Software License. 
 
 ** Reusing existing Code
 
-Q: Will you guys reuse XXX?
+Q: What projects will you reuse or build upon?
    
 A: We want to get Mono in the hands of programmers soon.  We are
    interested in reusing existing open source software.
@@ -374,15 +357,17 @@ A: Yes, he did, as a catch phrase in his opening remark on the Ottawa
 
 Q: Didn't Ximian's Miguel work for Microsoft?
 
-A: No, he did not.  Nat Friedman (Ximian's co-founder) did work as an
-   intern for Microsoft.
+A: No.  Nat Friedman (Ximian's co-founder) did work as an
+   intern for Microsoft for one summer.
 
 Q: Did Nat and Miguel meet at Microsoft?
 
+A: They met online on the Linux IRC network.
+
+
 A: They met online on the Linux IRC network;  They met in person for
    the first time in 1997.
 
-
 ** Acronyms
 
 Q: What is the difference between CLR (Common Language Runtime) and