A lot of people are watching Miguel de Icaza, a bubbly young Mexican programming whiz behind an unusual project he named "Mono," Spanish for monkey.
Icaza's company, Ximian, has already produced software called Evolution that gives users of the free, open-source Linux operating system e-mail and calendar tools comparable to those that run on Microsoft's Windows operating system.
But Icaza's latest extracurricular work could have a greater impact. With the Mono project, he and about 130 other volunteer programmers are trying to break down the walls between Linux and Microsoft's new ".NET." software development platform.
"I don't think it's ever going to wipe out Microsoft," he said in a recent interview. "But it's going to be a fairer universe."
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