Subject: Re: [Mingw-users] A Mingw32 runtime library independent of MSVCRT.DLL
From: "Kees Zeelenberg" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Platts" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 10:06:17 +0200

It seems any runtime library running on Win32, Msvcrt.dll or a new one,
would ultimately have to depend on Win32 kernel functions, such as those in
kernel32.dll. These kernel functions are also copyrighted and difficult to
change, if at all. So the development of a new runtime library is only
needed if the existing library (msvcrt.dll) does a bad job in translating
to the kernel functions or if its functions can be substantially improved.
Whether this is the case is, of course, a matter of your own judgment.
Personally, I do not think Msvcrt.dll is that bad. It is not a POSIX
library, but  if POSIX is needed, one had better turn to Cygwin.

And when a new runtime library is yet to be developed, I think it should be
an adaptation of either Newlib or Glibc. I am not sure whether Newlib and
Glibc are developed in parallel or whether one is derived from the other.
In any case, Glibc has been setup to compile on different systems, and its
default version certainly can be compiled on Win32; the change to a true
Win32 version of Glibc can then be made gradually by adding Win32 system
dependencies.

Kees Zeelenberg

----- Oorspronkelijk bericht -----
Van: "John Platts" <[email-masked]>
Aan: <[email-masked]>; <[email-masked]>
Verzonden: zaterdag 27 juli 2002 4:33
Onderwerp: [Mingw-users] A Mingw32 runtime library independent of
MSVCRT.DLL

> Why do mingw32 users continue to use a runtime library dependent of
> MSVCRT.DLL?
>
> There is a project to totally replace MSVCRT.DLL. Here are the advantages
of
> the Mingw32 Alternate C Runtime Library (no stable version released, just
a
> unstable, incomplete version):
> - Easy to modify
> - Can be easily tweaked
> - Can be compiled without Microsoft Visual C++
> - Open Source
> - Free to distribute, even without owning Microsoft Visual C++ or
Microsoft
> Windows
> - Can be compiled with Wine (with both native platform gcc and with
Mingw32
> cross-compiler)
> - Will be 100% ISO C99 compliant when complete
> - Bugs cannot be easily fixed in the MSVCRT.DLL distribution (unless
someone
> has a valid license of Microsoft Visual C++)
> - Will support both static and dynamic linking when complete, unlike
other
> Mingw32 runtimes (MSVCRT.DLL can only be dynamically linked, but
Microsoft
> Visual C++ also ships with two release static C Runtime Library called
> LIBC.LIB and LIBCMT.LIB)
>
> Developers, please contribute to the Mingw32 Alternate C Runtime Library
> found at http://mingwacr.sourceforge.net. If you are going to contribute,
> send email to [email-masked].
>
> Cygwin developers:
> NOTE: The cygwin setup program should not be linked with MSVCRT.DLL or
> CRTDLL.DLL. It should also not be linked with the cygwin library. It
needs
> to be linked with a static native Win32 C Runtime Library, such as what
the
> Mingw32 Alternate C Runtime Library is going to be. If you are a
developer
> wishing to contribute to the library, please do so. Please send email to
> [email-masked] if you are going to contribute. Developers
> should participate in the efforts, so that a Cygwin setup program can be
> written the way it should be without having to use a commercial Win32
> compiler such as Microsoft Visual C++.NET.
>
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