Re: [open-cobol-list] Portable WIndows app.

[David Essex]

You can build OC on Wind*ws using Cygw*n, MinGW and MS VC.

Regardless of which compiler you choose the OC run-time library and it's
support libraries, curses (PDcurses on MinGW and VC), GMP, BDB (or
VB-ISAM), will be required when your application is run.
Plus what ever other support libraries and applications you add, such as
Tcl/Tk.

On Cygw*n, you will require the Cygw*n run-time. I think this requires a
special license [1] for commercial applications.
BDB (version 2.x and above) requires special license ($) for commercial
applications.

For the setup and install, Inno [2] setup is an ideal tool.
It's open source, free and easy to use.
Just set the paths in the setup script, add some bitmaps, and run the
Inno setup compiler, and you are done.
It produces a setup executable (shortcuts, install, un-install, ...),
just like most commercial Wind*ws applications.

1) Cygw*n Licensing Terms
http://cygwin.com/license.html

2) Inno Setup installer for Wind*ws
http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php

John Culleton wrote:
> I understand that compiling and running OC on Windows 
> requires a bunch of stuff. But if I compile a program on my 
> windows partition and wish to make the compiled executable 
> available to others, what minimum set of additional 
> software must I include with the execcutable to make it 
> run? 
>
> For example it is possible using Tcl/Tk to put the entire 
> app together in an envelope called a Starkit.  I want to 
> put an entire COBOL app in a similar package, perhaps using 
> a zip file, so that the potential Windows customer can just 
> unzip and run. Is this feasible?