RE : status of the debian/mingw32 port glib and an idea about debian APT/dpkg, call for help / Re: Digest Number 605

>    Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 00:44:36 +0300
>    From: Tor Lillqvist <[email protected]>
> Subject: status of the debian/mingw32 port  glib  and an idea about
> debian APT/dpkg, call for help
> 
> James Michael DuPont writes:
>  > Just yesterday evening, I got glib and gobject to link.
>  > By merging the Makefile.mingw with the other makefiles,
>  > it also understands the make install and standard commands...
> 
> But if you are on a Unix system (cross-compiling, or using Cygwin),
> why use the makefile.mingw files at all, they are only intended for
> people who have only mingw installed, and don't want to muck around
> with auto* tools and/or configure scripts etc.

Well, funny enough, your mingw linker scripts are just what is needed
for linux/mingw32!

> 
>  > What do you think about my idea as to packaging: Debian APT.
> 
> I don't really understand. In some of your postings you point out
> that
> people who download (L)GPL binaries built for Windows should also be
> able to get the sources, and (at least in theory) be able to compile
> themselves. I agree, of course, that is of the main points of
> (L)GPL. I get the impressions that you would like to make this
> (recompilation of said sources) as easy as possible. I think it can
> never be made easy enough so that anybody can do it "just by hitting
> make", but sure, any improvement is welcome.

With debian and the new apt-src, you say  "apt-src install --build
dia-gnome" and it downloads, configures and compiles your code. If the
code has dependancies, they are also downloaded. All of this is based
on that idea that debian can impose constraints on packages.

Of course if you can allways use apt-get --source PACKAGE and
dpkg-buildpackage to do this.

Inside of the debian/control file, all the configuration  and
environmental setup can be handled. Including settings for the cross
compiler. This will make it really push-button.

Of course it is along way away.

> 
> But then you start talking specifically about cross-compilation from
> a
> certain Linux distribution. Surely you realise that only a very minor
> part of the users of GIMP, for instance, have the possibility to use
> such a setup?

Yes, but I am talking about producing binaries for DIA, and giving
people the sources. Some of the dia developers dont have windows at
home, most dont have time at work to muck about. 

debian apt is being ported to cygwin.
http://debian-cygwin.sourceforge.net/

And the packages could be "aliened" to other platforms.

I think that my results might now have a great market,
but I am looking at a specfic market.

Once the debian packages are setup, it should be easier to bring them
back to cygwin or mingw32.

> 
> I would guess that of those users that even know what a compiler is
> and have access to one, the vast majority have access to MSVC. (At
> their place of work, obviously, few can afford it for home use.) Or
> Borland. My guess is that gcc (mingw) users are a minority, and
> cross-compilers from Unix a minority of those.

I have never used mingw32 untill I started with this recompilation,
allways used cygwin or MSVC.

I would rather sit at home on my debian box then after hours at work. I
have deleted windows ME (very buggy) from  my laptop and will not spend
the money on it at home.

Of course the DLLS that are produced will be compatible with windows.

> 
> Of those who actually have attempted building this stuff themselves,
> gcc users presumably are a majority. But that probably is exactly
> because gcc users more commonly have the right experience and mindset
> currently needed. If the build procedures and documentation for MSVC
> users were in a better shape that might change.

Most of the MSVC users should not have a problem using the development
libs produced by debian, if they want to compile them themselves, then
they can either install debian, try following the gtk.readme or wait
untill the packages are ported back.

I think they will just be able to use the libs for now.

> Hans Breuer has done much work to keep the makefiles for MSVC working
> for GLib and GTK+ HEAD, but we need people to look through them and
> check if there are omissions or clarifications necessary. For GTK+
> and
> GIMP stable branches, the makefile.msc files have bit-rotted, and
> need
> to be looked over.

I am just looking into the glib and iconv and gettext for now, 
when they are all done, I will walk down to GTK and all that.

I will answer your mail with the requirements list when I get some more
time to research. Thank you for spending the time to make that list, it
is a good guideline for working. I will try and fulfill these
requirements if possible!

I hope that this will all work out well!

Best regards,
mike



=====
James Michael DuPont
http://introspector.sourceforge.net/

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