[OSGeo-Discuss] RE : Re: OSGEO4W future

[Pat Tressel]

> If you can come up with a way to do it on Windows I think many people
> are listening. The nature of Windows and Visual Studio tends to be what
> gets in the way of a more package management style system or build
> environment that's easy to replicate. I see no reason there can't be a
> shortcut in osgeo4w to setup source tree/libs for devs.
> ...
> Unlike OSGeoLive we can't supply VMs as that takes paid licenses for the
> software in question.
>

I am no expert on Windows build tools but...

If the goal is a *build script* to allow just pulling a new version from a
repository and building dlls or exes, then it is possible to script builds
using the compilers supplied with Visual Studio.  Visual Studio supplies a
shell with the appropriate environment variables and such set up.

I've used cmake scripts that referenced Visual Studio (and had to hack
cmake scripts that used obsolete VS build commands and obsolete VS
versions).

One does not need the full Visual Studio just for the compilers and build
tools -- those are available with some of the free Visual Studio Express
packages.

http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/eng/products/visual-studio-express-products

There are other compilers and build toolchains available for Windows --
e.g. MinGW -- but it seems (again, I'm not a Windows build expert...) one
must use the same compiler / linker throughout, so it would likely be
appropriate to pick one, and likely whichever is currently being used to
build OSGEO4W executables.

On the other hand, if the goal is a *development environment* that allows
people to work on the code, and debug and test, then one might want an IDE.

(I have not yet tried out Visual Studio Express as an IDE.  I use both
Eclipse and Netbeans on Windows, but have not tried building native Windows
executables or libraries with them.  I use them mainly for Java and Python).

Does anyone have experience using Eclipse, Netbeans, or another FOSS IDE to
build native Windows binaries?  Do you use the Visual Studio (Express)
compilers for that, or MinGW, or...?

The issue with providing a VM image with a preconfigured development
environment doesn't seem to hinge on whether the full, licensed, non-free
Visual Studio could be included, but rather the fact that one would need a
license for the guest Windows OS itself.  If the developer or builder is
running directly on Windows, then it's somewhat moot, so I'm guessing the
VM suggestion is more for cross-compiling, or ease of installation...?

-- Pat
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