Mail Archives: djgpp/1996/11/05/08:42:15
Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il> wrote:
>On 1 Nov 1996, Joel Hardy wrote:
>> I tried to use DJGPP for Windows programs, but RSX just didn't cut
>> it (especially with the GPL). I want to get rid of MSVC, but I need to
>> program a little for Windows. I'd love to add Windows support to DJGPP,
>> but I'm running a bit low on info and time. I know the Windows .EXE file
>> format a little, but it will take MUCH more than that to get anything
>> working (e.g. imports/exports in libraries for DLLs). Does anybody want
>> to help me? Once DJGPP supports Windows, there's no reason (except for
>> parts of C++ being under the GPL) that DJGPP wouldn't become one of the
>> most popular C compilers (think about it: if it had basically the same
>While I cannot unfortunately get myself involved in the above project
>(mainly because I don't know enough about Windows intricacies), I would
>like to point out that IMHO this is a very important initiative and I
>urge everybody who can take part in such a project to do so. As many
>others, I have come to not trust an environment which doesn't make its
>sources readily available, mainly because without sources, there are
>bugs/problems which you cannot solve. Making DJGPP compatible with
>Windows programming means bringing free tools to an environment which
>currently lacks them (give or take the Cygnus project).
Well, there is a document somewhere around that describes the Win32
PE/COFF format. I do not have this anymore, but I did send it to a few
people a while ago (can't remember quite who, Bill Currie maybe?).
This will help overcome the first main hurdle, generating PE/COFF
EXE/DLL files that Win95/NT can load.
I have considered this project, and done a fair amount of research. I
am willing to help anyone wanting to setup and 'lead' a project into
this, unfortunately I cannot do this myself as I don't have the time.
A good template for the management of this project would be the DLM
project. This project would require a lot of discussion, and a
seperate mailing list would be very benificial. Anyone able to set
that up? It would save a lot of esoteric traffic on this
list/newsgroup.
Basicly it's a _very_ large project waiting for someone to lead it.
The project would consist of enabling the generation of PE/COFF format
(ie. write a new linker, change LD or make a COFF-GO32 to PE/COFF
converter), writing header files, writing startup code, modifying the
libc.a to work under Windows (maybe a new lib), finding a freeware
resource compiler ...
Malcolm
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