LinuxQuestions.org - So, Mono can no longer be trusted?

This is a bit of a story but, I think it is important to bring up. I'm a Linux From Scratch user and build all my stuff myself. Yesterday I wanted to give Pinta a try, which is a Mono application. Here are the dependencies and build order:

libgdiplus : autotools : builds OK
mono : autotools + cmake : builds OK
gtk-sharp2 : autotools: builds OK
mono.addins : autotools : FAIL
pinta : ? : ?

Why did it fail?

Code:

/usr/bin/gacutil /i ../bin/Mono.Addins.dll ...

Failure adding assembly ../bin/Mono.Addins.dll to the cache: Strong name cannot be verified for delay-signed assembly

Note that this is version 1.3.3 of the package, the 1.3.8 version, available from Microsoft's nugit stuff includes only a pre-compiled DLL. Then I run into this issue for the package on GitHub.

Quote:

Installing to the GAC is no longer supported. It's intended that apps should bundle their own copy of Mono.Addins that they obtain from NuGet: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Mono.Addins

To build the NuGet packages, use msbuild /t:Release and they will be placed in the bin directory. You can set this directory as a NuGet package source, if you'd like to use binaries that yo've built from source yourself.

Then this on a new issue:

Quote:

This means, #73 (comment) isn't any help because I don't have a working msbuild yet. How can I get an msbuild without an msbuild?

So, did mhutch tell a lie, or is it just plausibly deniable corporate speak? I don't know. What I do know is that it is pretty clear from the Arch-Build and her comment that either a pre-compiled DLL (nugit) or a pre-compiled "MSBUILD" (grabbed by the arch-linux package build) is needed to build this assembly. I downloaded both, and both of them contained binaries.

What are we looking at here? embrace, extend, byebye? This makes me think the Linux Community needs to port anything useful off the Mono platform and kick it to the curb. I could be wrong, but if I am correct that closed binaries are going to be needed going forward, it will only be a few years before you'll need Microsoft Visual Studio for Linux to develop Mono applications at the low, low price of $2299 per workstation.

If you're a member of an IT department reading this, consider that Microsoft appears to be setting up the scaffolding to create vendor-lock-in for developing Mono applications. You now appear to need their stuff to develop on what was previously supposed to be an open source platform.