More flushage

svn path=/trunk/mono/; revision=60

1 files changed, 84 insertions, 16 deletions

diff --git a/doc/faq b/doc/faq
index f7f3a6f65c5..f2287d07660 100644
--- a/doc/faq
+++ b/doc/faq
@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ 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 for
-   standarization.  
+   standardization.  
 
    It contains a number of components:
 
 	<ul>
-		* A Common Language Runtime (CLR) system that contains a class loader,
-		  Just-in-time compiler, and a garbage collection aware
-		  runtime.
+		* A Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) system that
+	          contains a class loader, Just-in-time compiler, and
+	          a garbage collecting runtime.
 
 		* A class library. 
 
@@ -26,9 +26,18 @@ A: Mono is a project to implement various technologies developed by
 	</ul>
 
    The CLR and the Common Type System (CTS) enables applications and
-   libraries to be written in a collection of different languages that
-   target the byte code 
+   libraries to be written in a number of languages.  Classes and
+   methods created in one language can be used from a different
+   language. 
 
+   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. 
+
+   A single object system, threading system, class libraries, garbage
+   collection system can be shared across all these languages. 
+   
 Q: Where can I find the specification for these technologies?
    
 A: You can find the work-in-progress documentation from the T3G ECMA
@@ -43,7 +52,7 @@ 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
+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.
@@ -94,7 +103,7 @@ A: We will devote most of our resources to work on the pieces which
    until then, we expect few contributions to the project.
 
    On the other hand, if you have Windows you could start contributing
-   now to the class libraries.
+   now to the class libraries by writting them in C#.
 
 ** Mono and .NET
 
@@ -105,7 +114,10 @@ A: No.  Mono is not related to Microsoft's initiative of
 
 Q: If you implement .NET, wont I depend on Microsoft Passport to run my software?
 
-A: No, the virtual machine, 
+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: Isn't .NET something else?
 
@@ -114,7 +126,10 @@ A: You are a bit confused.  It is easy to be confused, as Microsoft
 
 Q: But .NET does not exist, it is vaporware. 
    
-A: Mono is not .NET.  Please refer to questions <a href="#q1">1</a> and <a href="#q2">2</a>. 
+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 framework.
+   Please refer to questions <a href="#q1">1</a> and <a href="#q2">2</a>. 
 
 Q: Will Mono enable thin computing?
 
@@ -138,7 +153,7 @@ A: No.  That just means that applications might use that API to
 
    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
+   than contacting passport.com.
 
    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
@@ -157,15 +172,20 @@ A: In a number of ways:
 	* This project was born out of the need of providing improved
 	  tools for the GNOME community. 
 
-Q: Does the GNOME Foundation or the GNOME team have adopted Mono?
+	* 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
+	  or use and extend existing GObjects.
+
+Q: Has the GNOME Foundation or the GNOME team have adopted Mono?
 
 A: Mono has not been adopted by anyone at this point, as it is a
-   nacent project, but we hope that the tools that we will provide
+   nascent project, but we hope that the tools that we will provide
    will be adopted by free software programmers. 
 
 Q: Should GNOME programmer switch over to Mono?
 
-A: No pieces of Mono will be ready within the next six months, and a
+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,
@@ -188,7 +208,7 @@ 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>. 
+A: No.  Please refer to the questions <a href="#q1">1</a> and <a href="#q2">2</a>. 1 and 2. 
 
 Q: If this implements the SDK classes, will I be able to write and
    execute Web services with this?
@@ -196,7 +216,7 @@ Q: If this implements the SDK classes, will I be able to write and
 A: Yes, you will.
 
    When the project is finished, you will be able to use the same
-   technologies that are available through the .NET-FrameworkSDK on
+   technologies that are available through the .NET Framework SDK on
    Windows to write Web Services.
 
 Q: What about Soup?
@@ -222,6 +242,15 @@ A: You would have to implement your serializer.  Hopefully someone
 
 ** 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.
+   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
+   they wish to do so. 
+
 Q: Will you have new development tools?
 
 A: Hopefully Free Software enthusiasts will contribute tools to
@@ -262,6 +291,39 @@ A: The main rule is that the stack in the CLI is not a general purpose
    have to be the same independently of the flow of execution of your
    code. 
 
+** Extending Mono
+
+Q: Would you allow other classes other than those in the
+   specification?
+
+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. 
+
+   Look for more <a href="ideas.html">ideas</a>.
+
+** 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
+   Windows.  We do not expect many Linux-isms in the code, so it
+   should be easy to port Mono to other UNIX variants.   
+
+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
+   they are under a Free Software License. 
+
 ** Reusing existing Code
 
 Q: Will you guys reuse XXX?
@@ -275,6 +337,12 @@ Q: What about Intel's research JIT framework, ORP?
 A: At this time, we are investigating whether we can use elements of
    ORP for Mono. 
 
+Q: What about using GNU Lightning?
+
+A: We are also researching <a
+   href="http://www.gnu.org/software/lightning/lightning.html">GNU
+   Lightning</a>.
+
 ** Ximian and Microsoft
 
 Q: Didn't Miguel de Icaza say that `Unix Sucks'?