Jonathan Wilson wrote:
Currently, we have 3 different projects that are working towards windows "compatibility". We have ReactOS We have WINE and We have MingW-Runtime and w32Api (refered to as just MingW from now on)
The 3 projects have different goals but the same target. Microsoft Windows and the Microsoft SDK, DDK and compiler. All 3 projects are working in some way to be compatible with those.
All 3 projects have their own set of header & library files including windows SDK headers like windows.h, MSVCRT headers like stdlib.h or stdio.h and (to some extent) ddk headers like ntddk.h
The first part of what I am proposing is that the 3 sets of headers be "merged" to create a new "SDK/DDK" for building windows apps. This SDK would contain: 1.a new set of windows headers and libraries (windows.h and friends) built up from a combination of ReactOS headers, WINE headers and w32api headers. They would be (with the help of MSDN) designed to be as close to the microsoft headers as possible (in so far as where things are declared e.g. if abc is in def.h on MS SDK, put it in def.h in this new SDK). This set of headers and libraries would be used: A.by MingW users for windows programming and development B.by the reactos team to build ReactOS C.by the WINE team to build WINE and D.by people building apps with WINELIB.
Please note that design differences help to enforce the issue of our not enfringing on MS Copyright. I agree that if MSDN says FOO is declared in foo.h that FOO should be declared in foo.h. However, if MSDN says FOO is declared in foo.h and bar.h then implementation of how both files define FOO is another matter. Too often we run into problems with duplicate definitions that resolve to the same value but are defined differently and cause compiler warnings and errors. We should place such definitions into a common header with __need_FOO macro filters. This gives us one place to define what is needed and makes maintenance easier since it is defined only in one file.
2.same as 1 but for MSVCRT.dll/MSVCRT.lib and would be used by WINE, MingW and ReactOS. It would endevour to provide 100% coverage of what the MS runtime provides in its MSVCRT.dll as well as all the glue code in MSVCRT.lib (like the Thread Local Storage stuff I made) It would be used by MingW developers to write for win32, by ReactOS to build their OS and their clone of msvcrt.dll and by WINE to build WINE and its clone of msvcrt.dll (which would be the same one as the ReactOS clone, see below)
Ok
3.same as 1 but for winddk.h & friends (i.e. kernel mode ddk). Would be used by MingW for kernel-mode development should anyone want to do that. Also, it would be used by WINE for anything kernel-mode that is needed And by ReactOS to build the kernel and kernel drivers.
Ok
In addition, there would be additions to the libraries plus new header files for all 3 items (SDK, MSVCRT and DDK) that would include any "undocumented by MS but documented by someone else" functions. One thing to remember is that just because they are undocumented doesnt mean that Microsoft (or even 3rd parties that have documentation/headers/code that isnt "genreally available) hasnt used them.
These undocumented features would have to be hailed as such. I.E. they would need to go to include/undocumented.
Earnie