VirsoNet Team News Blog

In a surprising move this past month, Microsoft has finalized plans to release the source code for the popular .NET 3.5 framework. Apart from providing better debugging for Visual Studio users, does this move signify that Microsoft is adapting to the open source community? The source code will be released under Microsoft’s own ISO-approved license, called the Microsoft Reference License. While the license does not provide end-users with terms nearly as liberal as that of the zlib or bsd license(s), it does allow for unlimited access to the source code.

I raise the question to how this release will effect other .NET projects, such as the cross-platform Mono framework. Will the release of the “official” code aid Mono developers in their development? Better yet, will Microsoft be finally willing to collaborate with Novell and other companies supporting the Mono project? I seriously hope that this in store for the future. A C++ advocate myself, I find that the C# language offers nice similarities with the addition of powerful libraries on the front-end. On the other hand, I currently find the .NET platform fairly limiting due to its “Windows-only” nature. Maybe this will change in the future, but until then .NET will continue to suffer from professional developer support. Having said that, IMO, Microsoft has gone one more step in the right direction with the release of the source code. I just can’t wait to get my hands on it, when it does become available.

I invite you to check out the new installation of phpBB3 on the VirsoNet Website! Originally, I installed phpBB2, but with the new RC5 recently launched, I just couldn’t resist to make the change. So what’s the big deal with phpBB3? The single biggest feature is the nice modern interface. PhpBB2 I found was very modular and squarish, while phpBB3 features nifty smooth corners, blended colors and overall a nice look and feel. The administration panel is also very impressive, and has about 5 times as many categories as the previous version. I also noticed a sizable speed increase on the new version of the forums, which is extremely helpful considering the slow server speeds.

In short, phpBB3 is a dream compared to phpBB2. There are some downsides, however. For example, there is still no Rich Text Editor for submitting posts/threads and sending PMs. In comparison, all other major forums such as Simple Machines and VBulletin include this. PhpBB3 also breaks all themes available for phpBB2, as well as all addons and fixes. There are currently very few addons extensions available for the RCs, while no extra styles even exist. This leaves me slightly disappointed, and I hope that this will change over the next year. Otherwise, I am greatly impressed with phpBB3, and look forward to the Final Release!