Does Mono .NET support and compile C++ / CLI?
If not, do you know if they have any plans of supporting it?
+3
A:
Mono is able to run 'pure' assemblies generated by C++/CLI, ie. ones that don't contain any native code. The various /clr options supported by the C++ compiler are documented on MSDN.
There is currently no support for compiling C++/CLI. There has been some work on modifying GCC to emit IL, but it isn't complete (and doesn't appear active). See this article.
I don't believe Microsoft document the format for including native code in an assembly, so supporting this is difficult.
Rob Walker
2008-10-08 15:43:34
+5
A:
We don't have a compiler for C++/CLI, it would be a very large undertaking for a very small userbase. Consider also that the C++/CLI spec is inherently flawed and non-portable, so being able to compile it wouldn't help much in the general case.
You can compile using the MS .NET compiler and run in mono with these restrictions: 1) run with mono on any system if the C++/CLI app is pure managed (but then, why use such an ugly language and not C#?)
2) run with mono on windows in the other cases (C++/CLI apps are in general non-portable and include native code, so they can run only on windows and are uninteresting for the major objective of mono which is to run managed programs on Linux)
Note that MS itself will eventually drop C++/CLI, so don't invest too much on it and switch to C#.
lupus
2008-10-11 11:13:04
"MS itself will eventually drop C++/CLI"Could you explain why you think that ? It seems very unlikely to me.
2008-10-11 12:43:21
Managed C++ is already unsupported and discontinued, it didn't take them long to do that. Now go count the news items related to C++/CLI in the last year or two, the blog posts, the announcements. Connect the dots.
lupus
2008-10-12 08:59:57
Count the news items,blog posts,announcements, related to C++ (coming from Microsoft) and compare to C#, ASP.NET, etc. Does that mean MS will drop C++ ?
2008-10-12 23:23:34
An old and established language has less development needs and still C++ from MS has seen much more exposure than C++/CLI.But it's your money, so if you want to invest in C++/CLI it's up to you, I'm just giving my advice: people should stay away from C++/CLI and doubly so if they value portability.
lupus
2008-10-13 07:37:55
if they value portability they should stay away from C# too. I think MS will keep C++/CLI forever, think that they support Iron* languages and they have an even smaller userbase.
gbjbaanb
2008-12-04 22:53:42
Managed C++ was dropped because of significant usability issues. C++/CLI as an interop language will not go away but it is already a second-class citizen for GUI - WPF is not and never will be supported.
Andy Dent
2009-01-26 05:33:34
"Managed C++ is already unsupported and discontinued, it didn't take them long to do that": This is why I hate Microsoft with a passion bordering on pathological. After wasting about year of my life studying this half-assed language, not to mention the countless $ I spent in buying overpriced Managed C++ books from the Microsoft press, the language was uncerimonuosly and quietly dropped. VB6 (though a rubbish language, had a huge following) - was similarly killed of callously by MS - despite loud protesttaions from the customer base. I for one welcome our new overlords Google et al
Stick it to THE MAN
2010-04-04 13:27:26
+1
A:
No, C++/CLI is not supported under Mono and likely never will be although generating pure IL using MS compilers would allow totally managed code to run under Mono.
As an interop language, C++/CLI exists to make it possible to call unmanaged code. The other alternative is using P/Invoke which is well-documented albeit with problems.
Andy Dent
2009-01-26 05:40:48