Subject: Re: object file format change?
To: UCKO AT vax1 DOT rockhurst DOT edu (Aaron Ucko)
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 10:03:35 +0100 (MET)
Cc: djgpp AT sun DOT soe DOT clarkson DOT edu (user alias)
From: Christoph Kukulies <kuku AT acds DOT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de>
Reply-To: Christoph Kukulies <kuku AT acds DOT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de>

> 
> >cross-compiler using --target=i386-go32.  Linux is a red herring:
> >there all sorts of different Unix systems (e.g. FreeBSD) with
> >different native object code formats, why should we choose to be
> >"compatible" with Linux only?
> Because Linux is the most popular Intel-based Unix implementation.
> 
> >And when Windoze95/Chicago eventually arrives, how much longer will
> >vanilla MSDOS survive: Chicago runs 32-bit NT/COFF executables too.

MSDOS will survive :-) it runs under Win95. You can boot Win95
without the GUI and have DOS 7.

> It can, but those executables are going to have a rather hard time
> interfacing with the user unless they're built with Micro$oft's
> proprietary headers and libraries...besides, many DJGPP users, IMHO,
> use Windoze no more than strictly necessary.
> 
> >NT-compatible COFF.  It is a golden opportunity that Microsoft picked
> >an object code format which is easily supported by the GNU tools.

NT COFF (and thus the VC++ object format) is far more complicated than that
supported by the gnu tools.
I think djgpp will enjoy a much wider acceptance when it can be used as
an alternate development environment under Win95 though I admit it's a
damn hard thing to do. Not even MS have really managed to run
their tool/compilers etc. smoothly under one hood.

> >
> >Products like Toolbuster use GCC to provide a Unix compiler and
> >run-time environment for NT/Chicago, but you have to pay for them.  It
> >would be great if DJGPP could form the basis of a free alternative.
> Again, how would this be possible?  Micro$oft does _not_ want
> to give away its SDK for free, and without it you really can't
> do a whole lot if you want Windoze to run your executable in its
> native mode.

MS have redefined the word SDK: Software development kit without a
compiler.

> 
> --- Aaron Ucko (ucko AT vax1 DOT rockhurst DOT edu; finger for PGP public key) -=- httyp!
> -=*=-Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.-=*=-
> 

--Chris  Christoph P. U. Kukulies    kuku AT acds DOT physik DOT rwth-aachen DOT de	 
FreeBSD 2.0.1-Development #0: Wed Nov  2 23:00:17  1994
    root AT mvx1b1:/usr/src/sys/compile/JAZZ