Re: [Mingw-cross-env-list] Re: Mingw-w64 thoughts (was OSX 10.6 workarounds)

[Ben Lau]

My primary reason for utilizing mingw-cross-env is to reduce the
hassle of compiling a cross platform application on multiple platforms
(though I have yet to find as nice a solution for OS X).  In this
vein... since I'm going to need to start supporting 64-bit browsers at
some point (I work on a browser plug-in) having support for compiling
w64 applications would be critical.

I've recently been tasked with getting our application working in an
64-bit XP environment... but luckily that doesn't require native
64-bit support yet. :-)  But having a single solution for win32 and
win64 would make life much simpler.

As for porting... it depends on the application... if I need it on
Windows I'd port it.  Otherwise I wouldn't waste the time.  So I guess
I take a pragmatic approach to the problem.

Ben Lau


On Sat, Nov 14, 2009 at 7:16 AM, Volker Grabsch <address@hidden> wrote:
> Tony Theodore <address@hidden> schrieb:
>> Is there much interest in win64 applications at the moment?
>> Your thoughts.
>
> While my answer is technically "Yes", there are political
> and moral issues I'd like to discuss with the whole group
> of Mingw-cross-env users and developers. To the point, the
> main question is:
>
>    Should we really do that?
>
> Since the beginning of this project I had mixed opinions
> about Windows porting. On the one hand, you increase your
> userbase this way, and you help users who must use Windows
> for some reason. On the other hand, you're putting much
> work into Windows portability which essentially just helps
> a monopolist.
>
> As a starting point, I ask everyone to skim through the
> following documents before engaging in the discussion.
> They provide views from many different directions and
> cover almost all important arguments:
>
>    http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/microsoft.html
>    http://www.fefe.de/nowindows/
>    http://catb.org/~esr/writings/world-domination/world-domination-201.html
>    http://kde-cygwin.sourceforge.net/faq/main.php#9
>
>    (Please complement this list if you feel there's an
>     important document missing here.)
>
> My current answer to this moral dilemma is:
>
>  1) I trust you, the developers who use Mingw-cross-env, to make
>     the right strategic decision for your projects. Mingw-cross-env
>     ports just libraries. It's you who port the actual applications.
>
>  2) I remove any library whose author doesn't want it to be ported
>     to Windows, even though the license wouldn't forbit porting:
>     http://hg.savannah.gnu.org/hgweb/mingw-cross-env/rev/35b9dcbe9daf
>
>  3) At least I help _developers_ to get away from Windows. Helping
>     _users_ to get away from Windows, if they want, is a different
>     battle.
>
> However, the "World Domination 201" article suggests that this
> might apply only to win32, not win64.
>
> In the past, I wasn't able to discuss that issue with a big
> audience. But luckily, the Mingw-cross-env project grew, so
> now I do have an great audience to ask:
>
> What do you think about porting software to Windows in general?
> What do you think about supporting win64 in addition to win32?
>
> A penny for your thoughts.
>
>
> Greets,
>
>    Volker
>
> --
> Volker Grabsch
> ---<<(())>>---
> Administrator
> NotJustHosting GbR
>
>
>