Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

C# C# Basics (Retired) Console I/O Start Coding

Anthony Kanellis
Anthony Kanellis
5,150 Points
Posted by Anthony Kanellis
Anthony Kanellis
5,150 Points

Compilers: What exactly is "mcs" & "mono"?

Are they programs that you'd typically have to install to create the compiled file to run? Is "mcs" the name of the compiler program, and is "mono" the name of the program used to run the executable code? If so, why specifically use these programs, and are there others? What's the difference between all the different compiler programs?

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,670 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,670 Points

You're essentially correct about the purpose of these programs.

Mono is the open-source cross-platform development system for the C# language. It's also the name of the executable run-time engine that supports running output files produced by the MCS compiler.

And MCS (presumably short for "Mono C-Sharp") is the compiler of the Mono system.

I assume these are used because of the minimal usage restrictions combined with a well-established solid reputation for performance. But some courses use the Visual Studio Community development environment instead.

For more details, see the Mono Project website.