Re: Re[4]: Compiling for Windows [Was: argv revisited]

[Dov Grobgeld <dov grobgeld gmail com>]

Note that if you are using fedora (and possibly other Linux distributions)
it comes with lots of win32 packages precompiled. E.g. all you need to do
to get gtk2 and its dependencies is to do:

   dnf install mingw32-gtk2

You can then compile your gtk programs for windows through cross
compilation and generate a windows install file for your application
through nsis. All your grandma then needs to do on windows is to run the
installer.

I have been doing this for several applications for several years, and the
process is so smooth and reliable that I only do the testing on Linux
before compiling and distributing for Windows.

Regards,
Dov

On Thu, May 5, 2016 at 8:30 PM, Andrew Robinson <arobinson18 cox net> wrote:

> On 5/5/2016 at 10:23 AM, Lucas Levrel <llevrel yahoo fr> wrote:
> > Le 5 mai 2016, Andrew Robinson a écrit :
> >
> > > So if I don't want to make my on copy of the GTK+ libraries,
> >
> > Why wouldn't you want to build your static libs for future inclusion in
> > your software? Where "build" is for "let the Makefile of MXE do all the
> > work needed to build".
>
> 1) Because there are between 40 to 120Mb worth of libraries or their
> dependencies I would have to post on my website.
>
> 2) You could get under 40Mb, if you are only going to use one function from
> one or two libraries, and you don't want the user to have any features like
> skinning.
>
> (I am going to reference Allegro here, only just for comparison sake)
>
> 3) If I do compile GTK myself, I will have to maintain all that huge
> amount of
> source code on my website, per the licensing agreement. If I use Allegro,
> I do
> nothing else unless I customize the source code, only then will I have to
> post
> source code.
>
> 4) Furthermore, I would have to answer questions on why users couldn't
> compile
> the source code for making GTK+ for Win32 on Windows7 (or 8 or 10 or XP),
> something the GTK community has been unwilling to do itself. With Allegro,
> I
> literally simply download DevC++ for Windows7, select DevPak to download
> Allegro, compile, and you are done! Compare that to GTK: Downgrade your
> Visual
> Studio to version 2013, install GIT if you don't already have it, clone the
> GTK repository, install a minimalistic Linux environment like MSYS2,
> install
> MinGW, spend a few days trying to get to know these things, try compiling a
> Win32 version of GTK+ using half-arse written instructions, if that doesn't
> work try installing and using MXE, if that doesn't work follow the terse
> instructions posted on an almost hidden website at Nachos blog, if you are
> still having problems, go to the GTK developer forum where they won't give
> you
> any help, ... etc
>
> The setting up the development environment for GTK relies on lots and lots
> of
> esoteric command line parameters, and it seems like no two computers use
> the
> same exact parameters. Developing on Windows for Windows is super easy and
> user friendly, whereas developing on Windows for GTK is not. Windows forums
> are not really friendly either, but they are much more friendly than the
> Linux
> forums are, and anyways I can avoid the forums because there is so much
> code
> and advice posted on the Internet for Windows, that it is hard not to find
> what you are looking for, no matter how esoteric your needs are.
>
> > > I must tell grandma and grandpa to get their own copy of MSYS2 and MXE,
> > (not Msys2, MXE will do all the needed download)
> > > and provide make their own copy of GTK+ for Win32. Wouldn't that be easy
> > > and fun?
> >
> > All the more as they would have to install Linux beforehand!
>
> That attitude is one of the reasons I chose to abandon Windows ... you
> sound
> just like Satya Nadella trying to pawn Windows 10 off to the world. If
> Linux
> was so great, people would already be using it in droves, instead of barely
> mustering 3% of the entire market.
>
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