.NET as a platform for implementing concurrent objects

JACO is a Java-based runtime system designed to study techniques for implementing concurrent objects in distributed systems. The use of Java has allowed us to build a system that permits to combine heterogeneous networks of workstations and multiprocessors as a unique metacomputing system. An alternative to Java is Microsoft's. NET platform, that offers a software layer to execute programs written in different languages, including Java and C#, a new language specifically designed to exploit the full advantages of .NET. In this paper, we present our experiences in porting JACO to .NET. Our goal is to analyze how Java parallel code can be re-used in .NET. We study two alternatives. The first one is to use J#, the implementation of Java offered by NET. The second one is to rewrite the Java code in C#, using the native NET services. We conclude that porting JACO from Java to C# is not difficult, and that our sequential programs run faster in .NET than in Java, while internode communications have a higher cost in .NET.