Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/08/15/18:40:02
Cesar Scarpini Rabak <csrabak AT dce03 DOT ipt DOT br> wrote:
> At 14:41 10/08/97 -0700, Stephen DOT Bint AT virgin DOT net wrote:
> >How much of DJGPP can be ported straight to a Mac without changing the
> >source code?
> >
> >Are there any screen functions, like clear screen, which I can rely on
> >working the same way on a Mac?
>
> Just for the records, from Emacs FAQ:
>
> "88: Where can I get Emacs for my Apple computer?
>
> The FSF is a participant in a boycott of Apple because of Apple's "look
> and feel" copyright suits. See the file etc/APPLE for more details.
> Because of this boycott, the FSF doesn't include support in GNU software
> for Apple computers such as the Macintosh.
>
> Please don't help people port or develop software for Apple computers."
>
> I feel GCC falls in this category. A final word would have to come from RMS.
>
All of the GNU tools that are used with djgpp are also available on
Power Macs under the MkLinux operating system. Porting GNU software to
the MacOS is much more difficult and not often done. An old Emacs and
gcc is available and Perl 5.002 is available. A few GNU build tools are
available under MPW (Macintosh Programmers Workshop for MacOS). The MPW
port of gcc2.3.3, and a workable but not self-compiling binary of
gcc2.7.2, is available from cygnus: <ftp://ftp.cygnus.com//pub/mac/>
The boycott you mentioned was lifted by the FSF a long time ago. I
believe it was early '96 that it ended. Apple has been more cooperative
with the free software community, for example they have sponsored the
development of a freely distributable Linux that is built on the Mach 3
microkernel (MkLinux, "microkernel Linux") and runs on Apple and clone
hardware. MkLinux is presently at "developer" release 2.1 update 4 and
runs on many of the PowerPC 604 machines. I have it running on a
PowerMac 7600. I understand that MkLinux is also available for Intel
cpu's.
The PowerPC version of MkLinux is available from
<http://www.mklinux.apple.com> or <ftp://ftp.mklinux.apple.com> and
on CDROM for $20 from Prime Time Freeware <http://www.ptf.com>
There is also a port of the monolithic Linux to the Apple/IBM/Motorola
PowerPC: <http://www.linuxppc.org> and
<ftp://ftp.linuxppc.org/linuxppc/>
By the way, the look and feel copyright suits are not only settled but
Apple now has a technology exchange agreement with Microsoft. You're
behind. Times have changed. :)
Open software on the PowerPC processors has some advantage because the
cpu has higher possible clock rates, _much_ lower power consumption at
any given clock rate, and better performance (much better floating point
performance) at any given clock rate. The currently shipping high-end
computers from Apple, Power Computing, and Motorola are based on the 250
MHz 604e cpu and low-end PowerPC machines based on the 180 MHz 603e cpu
are available from UMAX and Motorola for as little as $949. (MkLinux
presently runs only on the 604 cpu; PowerPC 603 support and PowerBook
3400 support is probably a few months off).
So, please do help people port and develop software for PowerPC
computers. We need a more truly cross-platform, and more inclusive,
culture of freely distributable software. Open and freely
distributable software is going to be a lot of fun on the new 350 MHz
PowerPC computers from Apple, Power Computing and Motorola. The 350 MHz
machines were demo'd at the recent MacWorld Expo and will be in the
market in the fall. I would love to see the HURD running on a 350 MHz
PowerPC! Maybe they were made for each other?
--
Garry Roseman <mailto:memphis AT macconnect DOT com>
Writer & Freelance Programmer
Memphis TN USA
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