Re: GPL vs. sweatshops (was Re: Bias)

Am Mit, 2002-06-12 um 19.07 schrieb Deven T. Corzine:

> It looks like "MAPI" is the main IPC mechanism, is that right?  That's a 
> messaging API; are there other IPC mechanisms as well?  (This is where 
> completely unfamiliarity with Windows programming is limiting...)

AFAIK, MAPI is a closed standard. Otherwise it wouldn't be so hard
to get an email client that can fully utilize an Exchange server.

Btw, if you have as little experience as you say, I recommend you start
with something simpler than IPC.

> A separate issue is I have no idea where the IPC code is in Wine, or how 
> much has actually been implemented already.  There's no point if the whoe 
> thing is done already.  If it's partly done, I'd need to familiarize myself 
> with that particular code.

This is how it works: You read all the docs you can get your hands on.
You grep and read the code until you are familiar with it. You make
little changes and observe what they do. You watch the wine traces, and
put in your own TRACEs to see what certain procedures do. If you're
absolutely stuck you post to wine-devel. 

This is basically how all of us work.

After a considerable amount of work and time spent, you'll be able to do
useful things, and you may even be able to tackle IPC. Another
considerable amount of work, and you'll have patches ready for
application. People will point out errors or misconceptions in your
code, and you may have to make major modifications to get your code
accepted into CVS. You'll have to put work into that as well. When it's
in CVS, people will come up with bug reports in your code and tell you
"my app xyz doesn't work". You'll have to deal with that, too.

When you have done all that, come back and tell us again freedom demands
that any company can take that code of yours, put it into their
commercial product, make money, and never give anything back.

Martin

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Martin Wilck                Phone: +49 5251 8 15113
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