DotNet

The M$ .NET plattform is not relevant at the "Askemos" abstraction level - for "low level" (BALL) notes see below. However Askemos needs to have a strategy how to run on top of .NET, since it's highly likely that .NET will be available at future computing platforms and it is possible that some platforms could be outlawed. (Due to short sighted understanding of security; see also TCB). However I trust in M$ to make sure to run.

As for the strategy: Askemos will run on top of tht plattform as there are already ProgrammingLanguageScheme alikes like Larcency (Tachy, http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/jrm/download.html) and bigloo under development. All are feasable TargetPlatform's

http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/research/mercury/information/dotnet/mercury_and_dotnet.html , http://msdn.microsoft.com/NET/default.asp

When the Askemos project startet, M$ .Net was a vapor ware, which apparently had simillar design goals. To make sure that .Net will never make Askemos obsolete the abstraction level raised high enough, so they don't solve the same goal.

Later it became clear, that both have a different design and .Net ist actually just a virtual machine according to yesterdays quality standards (i.e., not intrusion resistant). But as such it seems to be really well engineered. .Net is especially useful to understand the problems and "accidental hardship" (See here) of distributed systems, e.g., inapropriate abstractions, which stem from historical, kind of arbitrary design goals.

Rotor is C# and cli in source code. What it is good for nder the license - I dit not make my mind up. http://www.razorsoft.net/weblog/2002/03/28.html . According to http://subscribe.dotgnu.org/pipermail/developers/2002-March/002647.html free software developers can safely read the code. Be careful anyhow!

See also http://www.dotgnu.org for a free replacement and the mono project at http://www.go-mono.com/ .

Java for .net http://radio.weblogs.com/0109845/