Editing Miguel de Icaza (section)

==Biography==
===Early years===
De Icaza was born in [[Mexico City]] and studied Mathematics at the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] (UNAM), but dropped out before getting a degree to work in [[Information technology|IT]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tirania.org/blog/archive/2009/Oct-19.html|title=10 years of Ximian - Miguel de Icaza|website=tirania.org}}</ref> He came from a family of scientists in which his father is a physicist and his mother a biologist.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Interview{{sic|hide=y}} with Miguel De Icaza|url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6833|magazine=[[Linux Journal]]|access-date=2008-08-19}}</ref> He started writing [[free software]] in 1992.

===Early software career===
One of the earliest pieces of software he wrote for Linux was the [[Midnight Commander]] file manager in 1994, a text-mode file manager.<ref name="mc-maintainer">{{cite web | url = http://savannah.gnu.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs/mc/mc/FAQ?rev=HEAD | title = Midnight Commander FAQ | author = Midnight Commander authors | access-date = 2010-09-06 | quote = ''Midnight Commander was started by Miguel de Icaza and he is the maintainer of the package. Other authors have joined the project later.''}}</ref> He was also one of the early contributors to the [[Wine (software)|Wine project]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wine History|url=http://wiki.winehq.org/WineHistory|publisher=wiki.winehq.org|access-date=2012-07-10}}</ref>

He worked with [[David S. Miller]] on the Linux [[SPARC]] port and wrote several of the video and network drivers in the port, as well as the libc ports to the platform.<ref name="sparc-port-usenix97">{{cite web | url = http://www.usenix.org/publications/library/proceedings/ana97/summaries/miller_invite.html | title = The SPARC Port of Linux | author=David S. Miller, Rutgers CAIP, and Miguel de Icaza, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico | work = Usenix Proceedings | year = 1997 | publisher = [[USENIX]] Association | access-date = 2010-04-18}}</ref> They both later worked on extending Linux for [[MIPS architecture|MIPS]] to run on SGI's [[SGI Indy|Indy]] computers and wrote the original X drivers for the system.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kneuro.net/cgi-bin/lxr/http/source/drivers/sgi/char/graphics.c | title = graphics.c | author = Miguel de Icaza | access-date = 2011-11-19 | quote = ''Author: Miguel de Icaza'' | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120121124314/http://www.kneuro.net/cgi-bin/lxr/http/source/drivers/sgi/char/graphics.c | archive-date = 2012-01-21 | url-status = dead }}</ref> With [[Ingo Molnár]] he wrote the original software implementation of [[RAID-1]] and [[RAID-5]] drivers of the [[Linux kernel]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.koders.com/c/fid90D0506D0981288C46C7A849BBB82C7276351E12.aspx?s=rsa | title = raid5.c | quote = ''Copyright: (C) 1996, 1997 Ingo Molnar, Miguel de Icaza, Gadi Oxman'' | access-date = 2011-11-19 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120124014446/http://www.koders.com/c/fid90D0506D0981288C46C7A849BBB82C7276351E12.aspx?s=rsa | archive-date = 2012-01-24 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

In summer of 1997, he was interviewed by [[Microsoft]] for a job in the [[Internet Explorer for UNIX|Internet Explorer Unix]] team (to work on a [[SPARC]] port), but lacked the university degree required to obtain a work [[H-1B visa]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://nat.org/blog/2009/10/ | title = Startup Visa | first = Nat | last = Friedman | date = 2009-10-31 | access-date = 2010-09-06 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20140328013753/http://nat.org/blog/2009/10/ | archive-date = 2014-03-28 }}</ref> He said in an interview that he tried to persuade his interviewers to free the IE code even before [[Netscape]] did so with their own browser.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/library?url=/library/en-us/dndotnet/html/deicazainterview.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020108174635/http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=%2Flibrary%2Fen-us%2Fdndotnet%2Fhtml%2Fdeicazainterview.asp|url-status=dead|title=Microsoft API and Reference Catalog|archive-date=January 8, 2002|website=msdn.microsoft.com}}</ref>

===GNOME, Ximian, Xamarin and Mono===
De Icaza started the [[GNOME]] project with Federico Mena in August 1997 to create a completely free desktop environment and component model for [[Linux]] and other [[Unix-like]] operating systems.<ref>{{cite book|title=Practical Mono|first=Mark|last=Mamone|page=7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YpIAry7MNCcC&q=Federico+Mena|publisher=Apress|year=2005|isbn=978-1-59059-548-0}}</ref> He also created the GNOME spreadsheet program, [[Gnumeric]].

In 1999, de Icaza, along with [[Nat Friedman]], co-founded Helix Code, a GNOME-oriented free software company that employed a large number of other GNOME hackers. In 2001, Helix Code, later renamed [[Ximian]], announced the [[Mono (software)|Mono]] Project, to be led by de Icaza, with the goal to implement [[Microsoft]]'s new [[.NET Framework|.NET]] development platform on [[Linux]] and [[Unix-like]] platforms. In August 2003, Ximian was acquired by [[Novell]]. There, de Icaza was [[Vice president|Vice President]] of Developer Platform.

In May 2011, de Icaza started [[Xamarin]] to replace MonoTouch and Mono for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] after Novell was bought by [[Attachmate]] and the projects were abandoned. Shortly afterwards, Xamarin and Novell reached an agreement where Xamarin took over the development and sales of these products.<ref>Friedman, Nat. (2011-07-18) [http://blog.xamarin.com/2011/07/18/first-press-release/ Xamarin mobile products available now! | Xamarin Blog] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110234152/http://blog.xamarin.com/2011/07/18/first-press-release/ |date=2011-11-10 }}. Blog.xamarin.com. Retrieved on 2013-09-19.</ref>

In February 2016, Xamarin announced being acquired by Microsoft.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/xamarin/|title=Xamarin Blog|website=Xamarin Blog}}</ref> One month later at the Microsoft Build conference, it was announced that the Mono Project would be [[Software relicensing|relicensed]] to MIT, Visual Studio would include Xamarin (even the free versions) without restrictions, and Xamarin SDKs would be opensourced.<ref name="auto"/>

===Advocacy of Microsoft open technologies===
De Icaza endorsed Microsoft's [[Office Open XML|Office Open XML (OOXML)]] document standard,<ref>{{cite web|title=OOXML. (Score:4, Informative)|url=http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=293507&cid=20547277|publisher=[[Slashdot]]|access-date=2008-08-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tirania.org/blog/archive/2007/Jan-30.html|title=The EU Prosecutors are Wrong. - Miguel de Icaza|website=tirania.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tirania.org/blog/archive/2008/Apr-02.html|title=OOXML: The Wins - Miguel de Icaza|website=tirania.org}}</ref> disagreeing with a lot of the widespread criticism in the [[open-source software|open source]] and [[free-software community]].

He also developed [[Mono (software)|Mono]] – a free and open-source alternative to Microsoft's [[.NET Framework]] – for GNOME.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mono and Gnome: The Long Reply|url=http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-02-06-011-20-OP-GN-MS|publisher=[[LinuxToday]]|access-date=2010-01-15|archive-date=2012-03-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309114022/http://www.linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-02-06-011-20-OP-GN-MS|url-status=dead}}</ref> This has raised much disagreement due to the patents that Microsoft holds on the .NET Framework.

De Icaza was criticized by [[Richard Stallman]] on the [[Software Freedom Day]] 2009, who labeled him as "Traitor to the Free Software Community".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osnews.com/story/22225/RMS_De_Icaza_Traitor_to_Free_Software_Community/|date=2009-09-21|title=RMS: De Icaza Traitor to Free Software Community|first=Thom |last=Holwerda |access-date=2012-11-19|publisher=osnews.com}}</ref> Icaza responded on his blog to Stallman with the remark that he believes in a "world of possibility" and that he is open for discussions on ways to improve the pool of [[Free and open-source software|open source and free software]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2009/Sep-23.html |title=On Richard Stallman|first=Miguel|last=de Icaza|quote=''I want to say that God loves all creatures. From the formidable elephant to the tiniest ant. And that includes Richard Stallman. As for me, I think that there is a world of possibility, and if Richard wants to discuss how we can improve the pool of open source/free software in the world he has my email address. Love, Miguel.''|publisher=tirania.org}}</ref>

===Preference for Mac over Linux===
In August 2012, de Icaza criticized the [[Linux desktop]] as "killed by Apple". De Icaza specifically criticized a generally developer-focused culture, lack of [[backward compatibility]], and fragmentation among the various Linux distributions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/08/osx-killed-linux/| title= How Apple Killed the Linux Desktop and Why That Doesn't Matter|first=Klint |last=Finley|publisher=[[wired.com]] |date=2012-08-27 |access-date=2012-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2012/Aug-29.html| first=Miguel|last=de Icaza|title=What Killed the Linux Desktop|publisher=tirania.org |date=2012-08-29 |access-date=2012-08-30}}</ref> In March 2013, de Icaza announced on his personal blog that he regularly used [[macOS]] instead of Linux for desktop computing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2013/Mar-05.html| first=Miguel|last=de Icaza|title=How I ended up with Mac |publisher=tirania.org |date=2013-03-05 |access-date=2013-03-05}}</ref>

===.NET Foundation director===
In 2014 he joined [[Anders Hejlsberg]] on stage during the announcements of the [[.NET Foundation]] and the open sourcing of Microsoft's [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]] Compiler. He went on to serve on the [[board of directors]] of the .NET Foundation.<ref>[http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140403006500/en/Microsoft-Xamarin-Collaborate-Establish-.NET-Foundation Microsoft-Xamarin-Collaborate-Establish-.NET-Foundation] (2014)</ref><ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/12/release_microsoft_net_from_its_windows_chains_mono_and_xamarin_guy_miguel_de_icaza_on_open_source_net/ Microsoft .NET released from its Windows chains... but what ABOUT MONO?] on [[theregister.co.uk]] ''"Xamarin is a close partner of Microsoft, and De Icaza is one of three directors of the .NET Foundation, and the only director that does not work for Microsoft. The .NET Foundation was announced by Microsoft at its Build conference earlier this year, to host and support open source .NET projects."'' by Tim Anderson (Nov 2014)</ref>

=== Leaving Microsoft ===
In March 2022 he announced he was leaving Microsoft and taking some time off.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Foley |first1=Mary Jo |title=Former Xamarin co-founder Miguel de Icaza is leaving Microsoft |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/former-xamarin-co-founder-miguel-de-icaza-is-leaving-microsoft/ |work=[[ZDNet]] |date=2 March 2022}}</ref>