MIX - Novell's de Icaza criticizes Microsoft patent deal (LinuxWorld)

Recall that the first C++ compiler, Cfront, actually outputs C code, that you then need a C
compiler to process.

Vala makes good sense -- it builds on top of standard C compilers (GCC, ICC, etc.) and the
GObject type system, but provides C#/Java-esque bindings. But without the bloat of a heavy JIT
runtime (or a runtime library, if using Java with GCJ).

As more and more library bindings are added to Vala (a process that can, in the best cases, be
automated), hopefully the inconsistencies in the GNOME platform's C libraries can be reduced
as well. So it's a win-win scenario, even if you yourself do not use Vala for your
programming.