Re: [PATCH] Framework support with GNUstep on Mac OS X

[David Ayers]

Quentin Mathé wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Here are two patches to have GNUstep frameworks automatically discovered 
> on Mac OS X in every possible cases.
>
> Currently the GNUstep frameworks locations are only supported for the 
> apple-apple-apple combo, but it should be supported also for the 
> gnu-gnu-gnu combo which now works on Mac OS X to discard the need to set 
> each time the framework location for an application like GNUMail which 
> uses Addresses framework.
>
> I have just removed the combo test case in the scripts because when 
> apple-gnu-gnu and apple-apple-gnu combos will be supported, some 
> frameworks could also be located in a GNUstep related location.

Hello Quenten,

Wow, how did you get gnu-gnu-gnu and apple-apple-apple work in parallel? 
 The -fgnu-runtime/-fnext-runtime flag only controls how gcc generates 
objc code.  Not what headers are included or which libobjc get linked 
when you supply -lobjc.  But if you have this working I'd like to know 
where your 'libobjc's and 'objc/objc.h's are installed?  Which gcc are 
you using? Apple's or FSF and in which version?

The last time I checked Andrew Pinski was working to add some magic to 
FSF gcc so that -fgnu-runtime/-fnext-runtime /will/ have an effect on 
where the compiler/linker/loader would find -lobjc and #include 
<objc/objc.h>.

If you merely install the FSF gcc with libobjc enabled into /usr/local 
they you're likely to always include the GNU runtime headers with 
#include <objc/objc.h> even with -fnext-runtime and link against the gnu 
runtime with -lobjc.

Anyway, when I proposed the original patch wrt to DYLD_FRAMEWORK_PATH I 
had a long discussion (which continued offline) with Nicola about adding 
"true" framework support for Darwin platforms wrt to these search paths. 
 I conceded that we should make this feature Darwin dependent instead 
of library combo dependent only if/once someone maintains "true" 
framework support for Darwin and not add a little Darwin dependent 
support here and a have a little library combo support there.

If I understood him correctly, -make only generates "true" Darwin 
frameworks for the apple-apple-apple library combo anyway.  For any 
gnu-gnu-gnu combo the frameworks are "simulated" for Darwin as for any 
other platform.  Therefore, even if you can get gnu-gnu-gnu to work 
reliably on OS X, you /should/ be able to link against the library in 
the "standard" way (i.e. like normal libraries).  Yet if the patch 
worked for you, then either -make actually does create "true" frameworks 
for gnu-gnu-gnu on Darwin or it just happens to work anyway with the 
"simulated" frameworks.

Now as I don't have OS X, I only have limited experience with the state 
of -make's framework support on that platform, I may be missing some 
important details.

Cheers,
David