The maintainer of the Ruby.Net compiler project for running the Ruby programming language on the .Net platform is now supporting an alternative, IronRuby, according to a blog post.In a Ruby.Net Compiler Discussion blog this week, Wayne Kelly, who has maintained the project, cited the Microsoft Dynamic Language Runtime, which is leveraged by IronRuby and supports dynamic languages on .Net. “The release of IronRuby last year obviously caused us to question this unstated goal [of a production-quality release of Ruby.Net]. At the time we didn’t know if the IronRuby project and the DLR would succeed, so we decided to continue with Ruby.Net at that stage.” “I’ve come to the conclusion that the DLR is clearly here to stay – it’s becoming an even more important part of the Microsoft platform. I also believe that to obtain production-quality performance, Ruby.Net would need to reinvent (or adopt) something equivalent to the DLR. If we were starting the project today, there is no way we wouldn’t use the DLR,” Kelly said. “Whilst Ruby.Net initially had a good head start on the IronRuby project, by incorporating the Ruby.Net parser and scanner and by leveraging the DLR, I now believe that IronRuby is more likely to succeed as a production-quality implementation of Ruby on the .Net platform. I believe that ultimately, there is no need for two different implementations of Ruby on .Net.”If Ruby.Net is not going to be that implementation, then Ruby.Net participants should not waste further developer effort, he said. “Microsoft did not in any way suggest or encourage us to kill the project and we thank them again their support of the project,” Kelly said. In an emailed response to questions, Kelly on Thursday left open the possibility that the Ruby.Net project could carry on with other persons leading the way.“Others are talking about picking it up. I haven’t received any negative reactions to my announcement or support of IronRuby,” Kelly said. Software Development