Re: Flattened GNUstep structure?

[David Relson]

At 05:13 PM 1/9/01, Pascal J. Bourguignon wrote:

> David Relson <relson@osagesoftware.com> wrote:
> > I'd vote for the flattened structure.  I well remember my introduction to
> > the multilevel structure and I didn't like it.  After I learned my way
> > around it, and modified GNUmakefile.postamble to add a "cp $target ." (or
> > whatever), I don't mind it as much.  Also Nextstep/Openstep use a flat
> > structure.
>
> That's because NeXTSTEP and  OPENSTEP could store several architecture
> binaries in  the Mach-O exectuables.  However, this did not  work with
> OPENSTEP/MS-Windows-NT, where they had  to add a MS-Windows executable
> along with the Mach-O in the application package. Quite messy.

You're referring to "fat" binaries.  As I recall to build them, you would 
first compile and build for the individual architectures and would then 
combine the executables.  Compilation creates directories with names 
combining architecture and mode, e.g. obj-i386-debug for debug objects and 
obj-i386-opt for optimized.  When I voted for the flattened structure, I 
was thinking of this directory structure.

Also, the multilevel structure is appropriate for someone generating 
executables for different cpu architectures and operating systems.  I think 
GNUstep newbies will be more interested in generating programs for their 
current machines.  If we can keep life simple for them, I think it would be 
good.  As they learn more and their horizons expand, then they may want to 
switch to the multilevel structure.

Thinking of my situation, where I initially developed commercial 
Objective-C software for NextStep, then OpenStep and have now moved it to 
Linux, I control the target environment and have no need for anything 
besides i686-linux.

This, of course, is how I use GNUstep.  YMMV.

David

> I vote for  the multilevel structure, by default,  in the distribution
> packages. Up to the installer  application to propose an option to the
> user  to  install  only  for  one architecture  (and  then  optionnaly
> flatten), or to install for a selection of architectures.
>
>
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--------------------------------------------------------
David Relson                   Osage Software Systems, Inc.
relson@osagesoftware.com       Ann Arbor, MI 48103
www.osagesoftware.com          tel:  734.821.8800