[mtgx]

Weren't some people here suggesting some months ago that Google could use C# as an alternative to Java for Android, because C# is an ISO standard or something, and it's protected against Microsoft doing what you're suggesting?

I don't know much about the C# license, but to me suggesting Google would use C# seemed very strange, and probably very foolish on Google's part if they were ever to do that, but a lot of people thought that would be a good idea at the time.

Either way, I think this is just another vector of attack from Microsoft towards Google to hurt them, along with stuff like #droidrage, scroogle, the push for the Google search anti-trust, and now the push for the Android anti-trust in EU, too. They just want to hurt Google, badly. It doesn't really matter how they'll do it. They'll simply explore and take advantage of all opportunities to do that. It's actually a very similar strategy they've used in the past like a decade or more ago. Microsoft hasn't changed.

[Zigurd]

Making the language syntax and semantics a standard is only part of having a working runtime. MSIL, the VM, and the class library are also part of a complete implementation.

In Android, the Java language syntax and semantics are used. In part, the class library is derived from Apache Harmony, though the implementation has substantially diverged, and in part is the original work of Google. The runtime is all specific to Android. The VM does not use Java bytecodes. It uses Dalvik bytecodes.

This is a neat trick: You can use Eclipse and most of the Java compilation chain. It diverges from Java where Java bytecodes are translated to Dalvik bytecodes. That means that every tool, even the ones that depend on Java bytecodes, works for Android development.

You can use other JVM languages with Android https://www.assembla.com/wiki/show/scala-ide/Developing_for_...

But (!) that elegant way it all snaps together means you need to start by making C# a JVM language, which, as far as I know, hasn't been done.

A deep, dark irony of this is that the modern Microsoft runtime environment and class library stems from Visual J++, which Sun sued out of existence. At the time, it was by far the best Java for writing interactive.applications.

[Locke1689]

C# and the entire .NET platform is an ECMA standard.

Mono is a non-MS backed implementation of that standard. All of these uses of C# and .NET are legal, as far as I know.

On a side note, I've noticed that pretty much every Microsoft story posted on HN includes an antagonistic comment by you. It seems like you have quite the grudge against Microsoft.

For example, here is a comment by you dumping on Microsoft after TypeScript was released -- a completely open source language contribution that was also accompanied by plugins for non-MS editors/IDEs.[1]

I don't even really feel like discussing things with you. You've obviously made up your mind.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4599115

[Toshio]

> "I don't even really feel like discussing things with you. You've obviously made up your mind."

This is ad-hominem of the covert kind, in my opinion. Would you mind making an effort to stick to discussing the topic at hand?

[Locke1689]

It's not ad hominem at all. It's statistical. If someone insults Microsoft every chance they get, they probably have a grudge against Microsoft.