IKVM.NET

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IKVM.NET is an implementation of Java for Mono and the Microsoft .NET Framework. IKVM is free software, distributed under a permissive free software licence.[1]

IKVM includes the following components:

  • A Java Virtual Machine implemented in .NET
  • A .NET implementation of the Java class libraries
  • Tools that enable Java and .NET interoperability

With IKVM you can run compiled Java code (bytecode) directly on Microsoft .NET or Mono. The bytecode is converted on the fly to CIL and executed.

This is in contrast to J# which is one of the four languages that are supported by Microsoft's .NET implementation. J# is a Java syntax on .NET's framework, whereas IKVM is effectively a Java framework running on top of .NET's framework.

Jeroen Frijters is the main contributor to IKVM.NET. He is Technical Director of Sumatra Software, based in The Netherlands.

Contents

[edit] Status

As of June 2005, the machine supports Java 1.4 with the exception of AWT and Swing. IKVM uses GNU Classpath as its class library.

[edit] Performance

IKVM performance is slower than Sun's Java or GNU Classpath's implementations, which is not surprising, considering that IKVM programs are built on top of the .NET platform instead of their native Java platform [2] [3].

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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