Re[2]: Re[4]: Compiling for Windows [Was: argv revisited]

["Andrew Robinson" <arobinson18 cox net>]

That's weird! I've never heard of a Linux distribution that also has
precompiled packages for Win32. I will check it out at my earliest
convenience. You mentioned GTK2, but I am hoping it also has (or has switched
over to) GTK3.
 I hope this isn't too good to be true. I will be too busy to check for the
next few hours.

Andrew


On 5/5/2016 at 11:42 AM, Dov Grobgeld <dov grobgeld gmail com> wrote: 
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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