Porting Programs

garbo73 · 10-09-2003, 08:02 PM

I would like to know what it takes to port programs, for example what is required to make a Windows program run as a Linux native program. Not looking for exact details or emulators, just the steps and info needed. Thanks for any advise offered.

lehrig · 10-10-2003, 06:21 AM

It depends on the GUI library the windows program is using.
This may be total different / unavailable on linux.
e.G.
MFC -> nearly impossible
Qt -> no problem

kev82 · 10-10-2003, 06:29 AM

no, it doesnt really matter what api has been used the most important thing is if the windows program provides an abstraction from the win-specific calls, if so then you simply have to write the same interface with *nix system calls(not too hard), however if the windows program has all the windows-specific calls mixed in with everything else then trying to port it would be a total nightmare.

lehrig · 10-10-2003, 07:05 AM

> however if the windows program has all the windows-specific calls mixed in with everything else then trying to port it would be a total nightmare.

But that's what nearly all windows progs are like.

dakensta · 10-10-2003, 07:32 AM

I would see if wine supports your needs for running a program.

If rebuilding from source is the issue then look at winelib (part of the wine project):

http://www.winehq.org/site/winelib

Introduction

1.1. What is Winelib

Winelib is a development toolkit which allows you to compile your Windows applications on Unix.

kev82 · 10-10-2003, 10:26 AM

by lehrig
But that's what nearly all windows progs are like.

well i cant say ive seen the source of many windows programs but i always provide a decent abstraction between the operating system and my code, for example i have a physics particle simulator written in c++ and opengl, all the platform specific stuff is hidden behind classes and it took me less than a day to port it from linux to windows.

if most windows programs are like that then its the fault of the programmer not windows.