Message-Id: <200006231710.UAA24990@mailgw1.netvision.net.il>
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 20:11:20 +0200
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From: "Eli Zaretskii" <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
In-reply-to: <8ivisa$2bp5$1@news.vol.cz> (jan.bares@antek.cz.no.spam)
Subject: Re: I want to migrate from VC to free Win32 compiler
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> From: "Jan Bares" <jan DOT bares AT antek DOT cz DOT no DOT spam>
> Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
> Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 13:49:26 +0200
> 
> > I'm sorry to hear that the FAQ cuased more confusion instead of
> > removing some of it.  Perhaps you could tell what is confusing there,
> > so the FAQ could be improved.
> 
> My first impression from the FAQ was "I cannot do proffesional development
> of Win32 application with free compilers". The FAQ pinpoints problems in
> such basic areas as "Problems with using latest MS SDK", slow response times
> for bugreports etc.

It is normal: the FAQ quite naturally concentrates on problems and
their solutions, since that's what people usually look for in a FAQ ;-)
This should not be taken as a sign that Windows compilers mean nothing
but trouble.

> I spent some time with RSXNTDJ - now I understand what it is (at least I
> hope). I will never call it cross-compiler.

Note that the FAQ says "...it is essentially a cross-compiler", to
stress the fact that it's ``a kind of'' cross-compiler.

Strictly speaking, a cross-compiler is a compiler whose target
platform is different from the environment where you run the compiler
itself.  For example, a DJGPP-compiled GCC that produces code for
Linux would be a cross-compiler.  RSXNTDJ is not unlike the
DJGPP-to-Linux example.

> > And, unlike
> > with proprietary tools such as MSVC, help is freely available on the
> > net from the developers of the packages (as opposed to some clueless
> > tech-support person ;-).
> 
> Help for MSVC is also freely available!

I was talking about the quality of the help.  I very much doubt that
you could get the MSVC developers on the line, if you had some grave
problems.

> Yes I am sure. I understand your point of view, but Posix is advantage when
> you want to port Linux <--> Windows.

Actually, I was trying to make a point that some Posix features are
useful on their own.

> > I have no idea.  I'm not even sure what do you mean by ``Microsoft
> > extensions''.  Extensions to what?
> 
> Examples:
> Unamed structures
> Variable declared in for loop is visible also outside the loop
> new doesn't throw bad_alloc
> Windows specific: #import, __declspec(...) etc.

Now I *know* that I have no idea.  Anybody?