Sven LUTHER wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 15, 2002 at 12:44:57AM +0200, Gerd Stolpmann wrote:
> 
>>- Authors usually cannot test source packages on lots of platforms. Problems
>>  range from /bin/sh incompatibilities to the Unix/Windows nightmare. Especially
>>  for the latter I really don't know how to cope with it, because porting
>>  Makefiles and scripts to Windows is time-intensive, and as a Unix fan
>>  I have the attitude "let the Windows users do it".
> 
> 
> At least for the windows solution, i strongly think a binary
> distribution mechanism is what is needed for the users and also would
> save a lot of time and 'howto build' kind of questions on the mailing
> lists. There is no reason not to do so, i am no windows expert, but
> windows offer a stable set of libraries and other system component that
> can be relied upon to install ocaml binary packages upon. This already
> works for ocaml itself.
> 

Very true, but I have a feeling most users/developers are on 
'nixes and don't really give a dime about Windows. I expect 
most people to be willing to release their working 
sources--working on their flavor of unix--but not to work on 
creating a Windows distro, be it source or binary. I also 
don't expect anyone, say, of the Debian folks, to pick up 
the Windows-port crusage single-handedly.

Let's just say this is a pretty nasty topic. I have a 
feeling that the only solution would be to have an official 
O'Caml IDE à la DevStudio--eeek!--capable of handling 
compilation and packaging in just the right way wherever 
it's used, without resorting to such unix tools as /bin/sh, 
configure, make and whatnot, but this would fit better in a 
commercial project than in an open source project.

The other solution is to start using Windows installation 
discs for what there best at: saving your tablecloth from 
beer stains...

Alex

-------------------
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr Archives: http://caml.inria.fr
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
Beginner's list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ocaml_beginners