re: Winelib's role in converting Windows applications

[Daniel Kegel]

Ira Krakow ([e-mail]) wrote:
> At Wineconf, I had a number of conversations about
> Winelib's role in converting Windows apps.  The
> consensus seems to be that the most efficient
> conversion path is for much of the Windows app to stay
> in Visual C++ (or whatever) and that only the modules
> that specifically require native Linux calls should be
> recompiled, via MinGW/Dev-C++ on the Windows side, and
> Winemaker on the Linux side, into Winelib objects.
>
> For example, if the application requires PAM
> authentication, or a Linux-based help system, these
> modules would be separated out and encapsulated as
> Winelib objects.  I was thinking of using PAM
> authentication as a good example, since it works for
> any authentication scheme that the application
> requires.

There are two other reasons to use winelib:

1) if your code uses SEH (structured exception handling),
    you have a problem.  This technique is patented by Borland,
    see http://www.google.com/search?q=patent+5628016
    or maybe by Sun, see
    http://www.google.com/search?q=patent+6247169
    so the official gnu gcc can't support it.  You can
    apply an unoffical patch
    (see http://reactos.csh-consult.dk/index.php?page=gccseh,
    or you may be able to use winelib plus some clever macros
    (see http://www.winehq.org/hypermail/wine-devel/2005/05/0186.html)

2) if you want to reach non-x86 platforms (e.g. MacOSX/PPC, Solaris/Sparc)
    winelib is the only way to go until projects like Darwine
    integrate a CPU emulator.

- Dan