Subject: Re: Why is cygwin.dll?
From: [email-masked] ("Ben Constable")

15 Jan 1997 20:52:08 -0800
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> Now, figure on programs like grep.exe (91,648 bytes) having to include 
> that library in their .EXE...grep is now 3 megs, instead of 91k.

No. That is totally wrong. Go compile grep or a similar program with watcom
or visual C++. You will find that they do not have to be that big. It is
because when you link the program, you only link the bits you need.
 
> Figure on that size increase for every program compiled by the gnu-win32 
> kit...INCLUDING THE KIT ITSELF (e.g. everything in the binary 
> directory).  Do the math (120+ files in the binary directory * 3 megs =
360+ 
> additional megs)... and you'll see that a substantial chunk of your hard 
> drive has just disappeared.  On top of that, add an additional 3 megs to 
> each executable YOU, as a user, compile with the gnu-win32 kit...

Again, it would only be a very small amount for each program, because only
a few functions each is only a couple of K for each program.

> I know MY hard drive can't handle that.  Besides, 1 meg is hefty enough 
> for an executable for one program I wrote...4 would be pushing the limits

> of sanity, distribution-wise.

A 4 meg executable would indicate to me that the linker does not do it's
job properly.

> Isn't it just much nicer to have one .DLL instead of statically linking 
> the entire cygwin library in? :)  It's easy enough to write an Installer 
> for Win95 or NT which installs cygwin.dll as a shared file (which is what

> I did for my program)... one copy of the file for everything that needs 
> it is much cleaner. ;)

I think the good thing about the DLL is that you can update the dll without
changing heaps of executable programs. That is the idea with most DLL's.

Ben Constable
[email-masked]

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