From owner-freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jan 5 03:02:12 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: ports@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.ORG Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 40C8416A41F for ; Thu, 5 Jan 2006 03:02:12 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from tmclaugh@freebsd.org) Received: from straycat.dhs.org (c-24-63-86-11.hsd1.ma.comcast.net [24.63.86.11]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 116DB43D5E for ; Thu, 5 Jan 2006 03:02:10 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from tmclaugh@freebsd.org) Received: from [192.168.1.101] ([192.168.1.101]) by straycat.dhs.org (8.13.4/8.13.4) with ESMTP id k0536fjA000486 for ; Wed, 4 Jan 2006 22:06:42 -0500 (EST) From: Tom McLaughlin To: ports@freebsd.org Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="=-hJ36QWtGrf8lEsbGM5+7" Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 21:59:26 -0500 Message-Id: <1136429966.3472.6.camel@localhost.localdomain> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.2.3 (2.2.3-2.fc4) Cc: Subject: Mono: Call for volunteers X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2006 03:02:12 -0000 --=-hJ36QWtGrf8lEsbGM5+7 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi everyone, Let me start off by introducing myself. I'm Tom and I've been running the BSD# project which maintains Mono and related ports on FreeBSD since about August of last year. I took Mono over after the last mast maintainer left because C# looked interesting to learn and I needed a working Mono port. In the over a year since I've been running this Mono has come a long way through the help of a number of people. It is far more stable and usable than it was before. There are a number of more ports which use Mono in the FreeBSD tree with a few more waiting in the wings for me to commit. We have also worked hard to get Mono and C# applications to package correctly and behave within the ports system. Yet Mono still has a number of problems on FreeBSD. There is a lot of work to be done and I am in some real need of help now. Each update to Mono tends to cause a fair amount of fallout which needs to be cleaned up. Hence the separate BSD# CVS I keep for testing new releases before they are committed to the FreeBSD tree. Mono only gets committed when I feel it is no worse than the previous version in the FreeBSD tree. Typically with new releases we see things from runtime crashes in Mono, to C# apps which no longer compile, plus occasional runtime crashes in C# applications. There are a number of bugs and issues that are well beyond my ability to fix. (More on that later.) We still see random crashes in gtk# applications when gtk20 is built with certain -march settings. I haven't been able to track down all the kernel options which when missing from a kernel config cause runtime crashes. Mono's issues with libpthread are much better than they used to be but there are some lingering issues. I still hold back a Beagle port because under situations it crashes shortly after start due to a problem with libpthread and Mono. MonoDevelop right now seems to have threading issues on -CURRENT. Oddly, the Mono runtime seems fine, it appears to be with how Mono handles threads within the runtime environment. I still haven't enabled amd64 support, though there are patches in the port, since I'm still not sure how well it all works. The Mono Debugger needs some serious porting work as well. I'd also like to see more ports being created again. Most people familiar with Mono on FreeBSD are aware of how I started BSD#. Back in August '04 C# and Mono sounded interesting to me. At the time there was someone already maintaining Mono and was looking into it's issues which was cool. I could start learning C# while someone else kept Mono stable. I had no background in any programming language other than Bourne script and felt it was time to learn something a little more complex. Shortly after I got interested, Mono's last maintainer left. Since I wanted to learn C# and Mono needed someone to look after it, I took up the job and started BSD#. Since then along with Jeremy Messenger and Christopher Nehren I've been keeping Mono and all the related ports up to date. Unfortunately today I no longer have the time that I used to have to work on Mono. Up until four months ago I showed up to work at 9am (well, more like 9:15) and left at 5:30. I could then spend my evenings maintaining the existing ports, creating new ones, tracking down and fixing what problems I could, and learning C#. Today I no longer have the same time. I spend a greater amount of time at work. (Amazing what liking your job will do.) I spend more of my free time reading and working on things applicable to my job. =20 Mono has a number of issues which are well over my head. When I look at an issue with Mono it's often a whole new learning experience. I don't have the time anymore to spend a few evenings trying to learn some new aspect of Mono to track down and figure out a problem. I have tried to balance my work obligations and FreeBSD obligations for a few months now but I can no longer do it all. I am just burnt out trying. Mono's problems require someone who has the time to invest it which I no longer have. In addition, Mezz's time is dictated by what he needs to do for FreeBSD Gnome first and Christopher is spending more time on work related projects. I still want to continue working on Mono but I need someone (or someones) who will take the burden of looking at the variety of issues Mono still has on FreeBSD. If your interested in the work, please let me know. Thanks, Tom --=20 | tmclaugh at sdf.lonestar.org tmclaugh at FreeBSD.org | | FreeBSD http://www.FreeBSD.org | | BSD# http://www.mono-project.com/Mono:FreeBSD | --=-hJ36QWtGrf8lEsbGM5+7 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name=signature.asc Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQBDvIuO4zniJeL3s9gRAmZzAKCbRhUzBGZsq9cgGVE2ruV7ifrQygCggtdo MZJmxwKeo4VC/wWY+ms0YW4= =fvYK -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --=-hJ36QWtGrf8lEsbGM5+7--