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Traditionally, the development of cross-platform applications has been limited because Windows servers supported a .NET environment and Linux servers could not. But with a majority of servers running Linux and other UNIX like environments the segregation of ASP web hosting has complicated the integration of applications across these differing environments. To correct this problem Novell sponsored the Mono Project to enable UNIX developers to develop cross-platform .NET applications.
One of the great things about ASP web hosting using Mono Project software is that it is free, and it is open source. This gives a way for .NET developers to run their applications in a Linux environment without having to learn a whole new system or porting their applications. Now that Mono is available ASP web hosting can be more cost effective since it works without Microsoft Passport or a need to spend extra dollars on Microsoft licenses.
Using Mono for ASP web hosting is new, but it has been proven in a number of high-profile applications by well known companies. Electronic Arts used Mono to power Sims3, Wikipedia uses it for their search facilities, and the Washington Post uses Mono for its Deki based WhoRunsGov service. Mindtouch produces Deki, a framework for enterprise wide collaboration running on Mono ASP web hosting, and is used by a number of organizations such as the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the US Army, and many other public and private institutions.
So, if your web presence is considerably invested in a Unix-like environment, but you have an application that is better suited for ASP web hosting then Mono may be just what you need to make that happen. Rather than having to support both Linux and Microsoft servers you can ease the flow of development by keeping everything within the same environment without having to give up ASP web hosting by using Mono.
