Mailing-List: contact cygwin-help AT cygwin DOT com; run by ezmlm List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: cygwin-owner AT cygwin DOT com Mail-Followup-To: cygwin AT cygwin DOT com Delivered-To: mailing list cygwin AT cygwin DOT com Message-ID: <002d01c23544$7e52d080$9600000a@alpha> From: "Kees Zeelenberg" To: "John Platts" , , References: Subject: Re: [Mingw-users] A Mingw32 runtime library independent of MSVCRT.DLL Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 10:06:17 +0200 Organization: Kees Zeelenberg MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4807.1700 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" Aan: ; 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 jplatts AT users DOT sourceforge DOT net. > > 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 > jplatts AT users DOT sourceforge DOT net 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. > > _________________________________________________________________ > Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This sf.net email is sponsored by:ThinkGeek > Welcome to geek heaven. > http://thinkgeek.com/sf > _______________________________________________ > MinGW-users mailing list > MinGW-users AT lists DOT sourceforge DOT net > > You may change your MinGW Account Options or unsubscribe at: > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mingw-users > -- Unsubscribe info: http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple Bug reporting: http://cygwin.com/bugs.html Documentation: http://cygwin.com/docs.html FAQ: http://cygwin.com/faq/