does mono emulate .NET, or is it just a framework thats compatible with .NET languages?

Question

Like, if I write a program on windows using C# and the .NET framework, then drop the code on a Linux machine running mono, will it run exactly the same? Or would I have to rewrite it to work with Mono's libraries?

Answer 1

will it run exactly the same? Or would I have to rewrite it to work with Mono's libraries?

This really depends on what your program does, and how it's written.

If you use pure C# and core .NET framework features that are supported on Mono, they will "just work", with no changes. However, if you use unsupported features (ie: any 3rd party libs built around native interop, or WPF, etc), they will not work.

It's a very good idea to run the Mono Migration Analyzer regularly on your assemblies as you develop them. This will tell you of any incompatibilities.