Cross-platform development with Mainsoft

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Mainsoft^® is a cross-platform development and porting tool that enables IT organizations to move to Java-enabled platforms such as Linux while preserving existing investments in .NET code and skills. The software integrates seamlessly into the Visual Studio^® development environment, enabling C# and Visual Basic developers to rapidly develop and maintain server and Web applications that run on Windows, Java EE platforms or both, thereby reducing application development and maintenance costs, time-to-production and total cost of ownership.

Since Mainsoft compiles the .NET source to Java bytecode without changing it, this allows the same .NET developers to maintain their application, using Visual Studio, even when it runs on the Java EE platform. Applications ported with Mainsoft perform just as well as the original .NET application and can be certified under Sun's Java Powered for the Enterprise program. Mainsoft supports IBM WebSphere^® Application Server, Tomcat and any standards-compliant Java EE server such as BEA WebLogic^®, and JBoss^®. With Mainsoft, Portal Edition, ASP.NET applications can run natively on IBM WebSphere Portal.

IT organizations can now use existing .NET code and skills while deploying on a scalable and secure Java EE infrastructure such as IBM WebSphere Application Server running on the Mainframe.

Software vendors can port their .NET source code to Java EE to expand their target market and can produce both a .NET and a Java EE version of their application using a single set of source code.

Mainsoft introduces a patented technology that cross-compiles the Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) into Java bytecode. Developers code in C# or Visual Basic and transparently compile their source code directly into Java bytecode. Mainsoft then packs the generated class files in a standard WAR file and deploys it on the Java EE application server. Mainsoft also includes a robust Java runtime implementation of ASP.NET, ADO.NET, and of the most common .NET namespaces, allowing you to run .NET code on the Java EE platform. Mainsoft's .NET Framework sources were developed in partnership with the Mono community.

Features and product benefits

Mainsoft, Enterprise Edition, is designed for enterprise developers and large group deployments. It includes an integrated development support for WebSphere^® Application Server and Tomcat; the ability to deploy to any standard Java EE servers such as JBoss^® and WebLogic^®; multi-CPU capabilities; and the ability to programmatically interact with native Java class libraries and directly invoke their class methods.

Pricing information

Mainsoft, Enterprise Edition, is licensed per developer and per deployed CPU. It costs $5,000 per CPU on Tomcat and $15,000 per CPU on WebSphere Application Server, plus $6,000 per developer seat. First year of support and maintenance is included; standard support and maintenance for following years is 20% of the annual license fee.

Volume discounts, and OEM pricing for software vendors, are available. Contact sales@mainsoft.com for details.

Mainframe pricing is also available.