Mail Archives: djgpp/1996/05/30/16:47:59
Reply to message 4382689 from BOYLESGJ AT LION on 05/29/96 11:57AM
First off, you need to read the 'readme.1st' file that is in the v2 directory.
It answers 90% of your questions. However...
>I have just downloaded djgpp, or part of it, from ftp.simtel.net and I am
>confused as to the huge number of zip files.
>What is the difference between binary files and source .zip files?
The binary files are what you run. You only need the source if you want
to recompile DJGPP, or its components.
>Do you need both to run gcc etc?
No. Just the binary.
>What is DPMI or what ever its called?
>What does it mean when I get an error message 'No DPMI' when I try to
>run one of the executables?
DPMI is what DJGPP needs to run as a 32-bit program. It's a bit complicated
to explain right off, but it's similar to the DOS4/GW extender that a lot of
games come with these days. Basically, DOS is a 16-bit environment that
is limited to 640K of RAM. There are a number of ways to get around this,
but protected mode (DPMI stands for Direct Protected Mode Interface, I
believe) is at once the simplest and the most difficult to get used to if you
have worked with 16-bit programming all your life. The other real advantage
of protected mode is that it lets you use virtual memory to go beyond the
physical memory limits of your computer. BTW, please don't ask if you
can get out of needing DPMI for DJGPP - you can't.
DPMI is provided by a number of commercial programs, including
QEMM, 386MAX, Linux, and Windows 3.1/NT/95 when run in a DOS shell.
If you don't have or use any of the above (Windows, as I mentioned, is
only a valid choice if you run in a DOS shell, and even so it has its own
limitations), you will need to get CWSDPMI, a free DPMI host that comes
with DJGPP.
>What are contained in the the following zip files : dpmi....zip,
You need csdpmi1b.zip to get CWSDPMI.
>bison....zip, diff....zip,
>grep....zip, finutil....zip, flex....zip, objc....zip, patch....zip,
>texinfo....zip and are they necessary to run gcc etc?
Lessee...
Bison is a YACC-like parser. I am completely clueless about what
exactly it does (not being into that stuff myself), but it isn't necessary.
Diff, grep, flex, and patch are Unix utilities ported to DJGPP. Fun if you
are interested in 'em, but not necessary.
If, by "finutil", you mean bnu252b.zip, you MUST have that, because it
contains the main compiler executables. :)
objc is only needed if you want to compile Objective C, which AFAIK
is going into disuse and has some bugs besides.
txi360b.zip is needed if you want to read the docs that come with DJGPP.
>What are the minimum necessary zip files required to set up djgpp?
This is specified in the readme.1st file. To gain basic functionality, you
need djdev200,zip, gcc272b.zip, and bnu252b.zip. You will also want
csdpmi1b.zip to get DPMI functionality. If you want C++, you ALSO need
gpp272b.zip and lgp271b.zip. To read the manuals, you need txi360b.zip.
I recommend also getting djlsr200.zip for library source code and if you
are a novice, djtst200.zip for sample programs. Make is an incredibly
useful utility, and IS necessary if you are going to be compiling the test
programs or rebuilding any part of DJGPP; it is in mak373b.zip.
>Please help me out.
No problem. BTW, if you aren't subscribed to the mailing list, it would
be a good idea to do so, as we can answer a lot of your questions. If you
are subscribed, you'll know because you'll see this email twice. :) Also,
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get the Frequently Asked Questions list
(faq200b.zip) and read it thoroughly! It should solve all but the strangest
of problems.
John
P.S.: Don't flame me for cc'ing this to the list - it's for the benefit of the
lurkers
as well. :)
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