Can MonoDevelop (2.2b2) running on Windows use the Microsoft compilers?

Question

I've installed MonoDevelop 2.2b2 on my Windows workstation, which has the .NET 3.5 SDK installed and running fine (I can use VS Express and command-line compilation without a problem).

Apparently MonoDevelop defaults to calling the Mono VB.NET compiler (vbcnc.exe) rather than the Microsoft compiler (vbc.exe) when building a project. (I haven't tried a C# project yet.)

Is there a way to tell MonoDevelop to use the standard VB.NET compiler for .NET 3.5? I can't seem to find such an option anywhere in the application, solution, or project options.

I like the MonoDevelop IDE (even better than SharpDevelop), but I'm not sold on installing and using Mono's compiler just yet, nor do I know if it can even handle the latest VB.NET / C# language features.

Answer 1

MonoDevelop does already use Microsoft's Visual Basic compiler. In fact, MonoDevelop/Win32 runs on top of MS.NET, not on top of Mono. If you have Mono installed (it is a separate installer), then you'll have the choice to build with MS.NET or with Mono.

Answer 2

Isn't MonoDevelop a subset of Visual Studio Express? Why not use the free express versions?