Mixed-mode code execution is on the drawing board Credit: Thinkstock Mono, Microsoft’s open source, cross-platform runtime for .Net-based development, has regained its .Net interpreter, about a decade after it was removed to keep Mono’s development effort manageable. Mono’s developers are now turning their attention to using the interpreter in mixed-mode code execution, which combines interpreted code and statically compiled code. What mixed-mode exdcution will bring to Mono When mixed-mode execution becomes available, developers will benefit from having core libraries optimized with the LLVM compiler platform but still have flexibility of running some dynamic code, said Miguel de Icaza, a longtime leader of the Mono project. This mixed-mode capability also will allow for scriptable applications on devices using .Net languages. The interpreter itself provides a lighter mechanism for running some code; certain programs can run faster by being interpreted than by using just-in-time (JIT) compiler execution. Other ambitions for the interpreter include improvements for statically compiled Mono, so scripting languages built on .Net can work on statically compiled environments such as IronRuby. Another mixed-mode possibility is instructing the interpreter to execute code not known to be performance-sensitive, such as static constructors or initialization code, or switching from interpreted mode to JIT compilation if a threshold is exceeded. Where to download Mono You can download Mono from the Mono project website. Development ToolsSoftware DevelopmentTechnology Industry