> Hi,
>
> I've been developing my forth on linux, but when it came time to add
> Windows support, I found it easiest (and cheapest) to base Windows
> building on the MinGW/MSys toolset, rather than the native Windows tools
> like MSVC/MSVS etc.
>
> My question is - would the typical windows-using coder feel alienated at
> having to install MinGW/MSys in order to compile a forth on Windows?
> Would such a user feel a bit put off at lack of MSVS support?
>
> Cheers
> Dave

> Um, David, MingW does not require having anything not related to the
> application itself, any .dll's you might use, or create. Cygwin, on the
> other hand has a run time .dll which must be added to Cygwin functions,
> unless you take specific actions (-nocygwin?) on the compile.

> On Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:11:55 -0400, spam wrote:

>> Um, David, MingW does not require having anything not related to the
>> application itself, any .dll's you might use, or create.  Cygwin, on the
>> other hand has a run time .dll which must be added to Cygwin functions,
>> unless you take specific actions (-nocygwin?) on the compile.

>
> I do realise that. Cygwin in the early days put me off because of the big
> ball and chain, while MinGW builds native apps.
>
> But for a Windows dev whose attention span is stressed, and who is
> accustomed to single point-and-click downloading and running an
> installer, MinGW doesn't exactly make that easy. They don't provide an
> 'all in one' installer. The closest is the mingw-x.x-install.exe and the
> msys-x.x-install.exe, which you have to hunt for in a long sf.net
> downloads page. Then there's ancillary stuff like gdb, which needs to be
> separately installed.
>
> On the other hand, lots of Windows devs already have an MSVC/MSVS lying
> around. ...

> But for a Windows dev whose attention span is stressed, and who is
> accustomed to single point-and-click downloading and running an
> installer, MinGW doesn't exactly make that easy. They don't provide an
> 'all in one' installer.

> The closest is the mingw-x.x-install.exe and the
> msys-x.x-install.exe, which you have to hunt for in a long sf.net
> downloads page. Then there's ancillary stuff like gdb, which needs to be
> separately installed.

> On the other hand, lots of Windows devs already have an MSVC/MSVS lying
> around.

> Hi,
>
> I've been developing my forth on linux, but when it came time to add
> Windows support, I found it easiest (and cheapest) to base Windows
> building on the MinGW/MSys toolset, rather than the native Windows tools
> like MSVC/MSVS etc.
>
> My question is - would the typical windows-using coder feel alienated at
> having to install MinGW/MSys in order to compile a forth on Windows?
> Would such a user feel a bit put off at lack of MSVS support?

> Cheers
> Dave

> I've been developing my forth on linux, but when it came time to add
> Windows support, I found it easiest (and cheapest) to base Windows
> building on the MinGW/MSys toolset, rather than the native Windows tools
> like MSVC/MSVS etc.
>
> My question is - would the typical windows-using coder feel alienated at
> having to install MinGW/MSys in order to compile a forth on Windows?
> Would such a user feel a bit put off at lack of MSVS support?

> Windows packages under Linux using cross-compilers and Wine for
> running the installer compiler. I suggest you add a section to your
> documentation for developers who want to compile using other compilers
> with:

> On Jul 17, 2:41 am, DavidM nowhere.com> wrote:
>
>
>

>> On Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:11:55 -0400, spam wrote:

>>> Um, David, MingW does not require having anything not related to the
>>> application itself, any .dll's you might use, or create. Cygwin, on the
>>> other hand has a run time .dll which must be added to Cygwin functions,
>>> unless you take specific actions (-nocygwin?) on the compile.

>

>> I do realise that. Cygwin in the early days put me off because of the big
>> ball and chain, while MinGW builds native apps.

>

>> But for a Windows dev whose attention span is stressed, and who is
>> accustomed to single point-and-click downloading and running an
>> installer, MinGW doesn't exactly make that easy. They don't provide an
>> 'all in one' installer. The closest is the mingw-x.x-install.exe and the
>> msys-x.x-install.exe, which you have to hunt for in a long sf.net
>> downloads page. Then there's ancillary stuff like gdb, which needs to be ...

>

>> I also use MinGW for my windows build. True, there's no quick
>> installer but hey, if the guy is not able to install MinGW (which is
>> not that hard), that guy should certainly not mess with your source.
>> However, I heard of Dev-C++, which is an IDE which includes MinGW as
>> the compiler. Maybe they have an installer.

>

>
> That reminds me of a friend who had a Lotus sports car.  English was
> his second language so I didn't always get everything he said, but he

> had lived in Kansas and the only mechanic was 100 miles away.  The
> mechanic would not give estimates or give opinions of what was wrong
> or even listen to what the owner wanted done.  You gave him your Lotus
> and he would let you know when it was ready and how much it cost.  If
> he was in a good mood, he would tell you what he did.
>