Re: Do we need "DEFINES=-DWIN32 -DGSL_DLL" in the Makefile of the gsl package?

[Tatsuro MATSUOKA]

----- Original Message -----
> From: "tmacchant
> To: Julien Bect ; Michael Goffioul 
> Cc: octave-maintainers 
> Date: 2016/9/5, Mon 03:42
> Subject: Re: Do we need "DEFINES=-DWIN32 -DGSL_DLL" in the Makefile of the 
> gsl package?
> 
> --- julien.bect
>>  Hi all,
>> 
>>  A long time ago (2007...) Michael Goffioul added the following line to the 
> Makefile of the gsl package:
>> 
>>  DEFINES=
>>  ifeq ($(canonical_host_type),i686-pc-msdosmsvc)
>>  DEFINES=-DWIN32 -DGSL_DLL
>>  endif
>> 
>>  These lines are still here:
>> 
>> 
> https://sourceforge.net/p/octave/gsl/ci/11467a9d9e122abc2e5546ab79b9640daf8e11f8/tree/src/Makefile.in
>> 
>>  but I have no idea idea if they are still relevant.
>> 
>>  I assume this is for building directly on windows (as opposed to 
> cross-compiling) but I have no idea if this is really possible...
>> 
>>  I am very close to finally making a new release of the package, and I was 
> wondering if these lines should be preserved or removed...
>> 
>>  If they are to be preserved, it would be nice to add a comment explaining 
> why they are useful.
>> 
>>  @++
>>  Julien
>> 
> When I checked gsl package recently, I perhaps did not use  such flag to 
> generate shared library of the gsl and gsl package using mingw compiler 
> emmbeded 
> with octave for windows. I wii send you more definite information from my 
> lab. 
> in university.
> 
> Please wait a while.
> 
> Tatsuro


Julien


I misunderstood the situation.

DEFINES=
ifeq ($(canonical_host_type),i686-pc-msdosmsvc)
DEFINES=-DWIN32 -DGSL_DLL
endif


The above part is for the msvc (Microsoft Visual C++) build 
for windows and is not related to 
build using gcc (mingw) (cross and native) for windows.

The last official version of octave built by the msvc is 3.6.4.
However, there are still some people those who use that version.
I guess that that is for the integration of the Microsoft Visual Studio.

I had tried to build octave on native windows using the mingw build stuff which
is embedded in octave distribution and gotten successful results. 
Theoretically if one prepare all dependencies are prepared using the msvc,
octave can be built on windows using the msvc.

Fortunately the above part has no relationship to the current octave for windows
(built by mxe-octave).

My opinion is that leave the above.

> If they are to be preserved, it would be nice to add a comment explaining 
> why they are useful.


# The below are preserved for those who attempt to build this package on octave 
build 
by msvc compiler  

Tatsuro