On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 09:19:33PM +0100, Jens Thiele wrote: > Okay, then let me try to suggest some description. First a summary: > > - there are 2 cross compilers for the mingw32 target > (gcc-mingw32 and ming32)
No, there is only gcc. There are now multiple variants of that being uploaded as binary debs. > - gcc-mingw32 is unmodified GCC 4.4, compiled for mingw32 targets > - mingw32 is GCC 4.2.1 plus some modifications that were needed for > mingw32 support at the time Mingw is the original project to port gcc for windows targets. Some of the patches for mingw have been pushed into mainline gcc, but still not all of them. We have gcc-mingw32 because Robert was too impatient for 64 bit support and building only the mainline code Worked For Him for the one thing he needed it for. There really isn't any other reason for having it that I'm aware of. > - most people probably want to use gcc-mingw32 instead of mingw32 > (similar to most people would prefer a newer gcc-4.x) Some projects have already found that gcc-mingw doesn't work for them, so the patches mingw are carrying clearly aren't all 'optional'. There is also a newer release of mingw available, but gcc mainline has changed its licence, and nobody has yet taken the time to clarify if the concerns some people have raised will affect this code. That combined with Robert uploading a duplicate package anyway when he knew this would have the 64bit support he wanted have been a pretty powerful anti-motivator for moving ahead with that in a hurry. So the only thing we can so far safely say about "most people", is that most people haven't cared enough to answer either of these questions yet :( Mostly I'm now sitting back and watching until they do. > - both packages don't include gcj Or Objective-C or Fortran, or other niche languages that mostly aren't useful for actually developing portable code on Debian systems. > Points I do not understand, yet: > - is 64bit windows its own mingw64 target? you can use gcc-mingw32 for > that, too? No idea. Pretty much everyone I asked have said they have no interest or need at all for win64 builds. Robert had one application when I asked him the same. That seems to be the only reason gcc-mingw32 now exists, but I don't know what its mechanism for 64bit targets is, or if or why or when you'd want to use it for 32 bit ones. I just know I hate useless rework, so while that's happening, I'm just going to sit back until the people making the busywork, or the users who fall victim to it, solve the problems that they introduced themselves. When they have clear answers for that, then I can have some certainty again that any work I do, won't simply be wasted effort I could have spent on more important things. Patiently, Ron -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
