How to Compile Visual studio C++ to linux and os-mac

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Can I Compile my existing C++ Code to run in os-mac asnd linux?

Best reguards
abzadeh

Posted 13-Apr-11 5:55am

mr.abzadeh

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Marc A. Brown · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-13T05:58:00

Solution 1

I'd think that would depend on whether you used any Windows-specific stuff in your existing code.

[EDIT] In the end, after you've looked for whether your app is Windows-specific, all you can do is try to compile it on the platform of your choice and see whether it succeeds or fails. If you find failure points in compilation or in execution, you have to figure out why and whether you're doing something that can be made to work cross-platform. Depending on how much goes wrong, this could be quite time-consuming.

Posted 13-Apr-11 5:58am

Marc A. Brown

Updated 13-Apr-11 6:23am

v2

Comments

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Apr-11 12:01pm

That's basically is the main issue, my 5.
--SA

mr.abzadeh 13-Apr-11 12:12pm

Can you tell me an example of windows-specific stuff? and which compiler should I use if I have not used it in my existing code?

Thanks in advance
abzadeh

Marc A. Brown 13-Apr-11 12:19pm

This (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff381399(v=vs.85).aspx) should give you a start on the Win-specific stuff. It's a tutorial on C++ programming for Windows. I would think the compiler you use would depend on the platform. the GNU compiler collection is used heavily on Linux, though I don't know enough to recommend it vs. some other solution. I don't know what you'd use on OSX or whether there's a compiler that would give good results across platforms.

mr.abzadeh 13-Apr-11 12:32pm

I will study the article you noticed to me, and does linux and os-mac use messaging in a way similar to windows sh that I convert my code?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Apr-11 12:19pm

We're talking not about compiler. Everything related Windows OS. Not Windows specific is just calculations, file system I/O, console I/O, sockets, etc., that is, the stuff common for most systems, Posix... Windows UI with messaging system, System Services, System Managements, COM/ActiveX, all Windows API -- Windows-specific.
--SA

mr.abzadeh 13-Apr-11 12:30pm

I have used windows messaging and windows sockets extensively, and none from the list you presented me, and since I have collected all my messaging and socketing in two modules, Is It possible to convert to linux by rewriting the two modules?

thanks in advance
abzadeh

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Apr-11 12:54pm

I hope you were so wise to isolate UI from the rest of functionality. Ideally, UI should be very well isolated from 1) universal code, 2) application-specific code.

The "convert" does not sound a right term. If your isolation of UI was good you would need.. to write new UI in Linux and re-use the rest of the code.

You see, there are very view platforms where you can share UI between different OS. 1).NET (wow, I run my Windows forms applications on Linux without recompilation!), 2) Javas machine (JVM), 3) and, more marginally, Qt. Maybe, something else.

Windows must die. Microsoft is working on a several new non-Windows OS (pretty much compliant with .NET (CLI) standards. Hope this way prevail, but nobody can predict future...

--SA

mr.abzadeh 13-Apr-11 13:04pm

My code is Native C++, and my UI is isolated, all written by myself. So I can not use existing UI in the market And I should Write my OWN UI for linux, Is there enough similarity between window and linux, For example, Using window procegers, message handling and socketing?
Can you offer me an starting point to practice linux UI?

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Apr-11 14:26pm

Too many Questions; it deserved a separate Answer. I just posted one, please see.
--SA

Marc A. Brown 13-Apr-11 14:28pm

Good call. Perhaps the "new" questions actually deserve their own question! :)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Apr-11 14:33pm

You already read it, didn't you? How can you be so fast, I just posted it?
Thank you.
--SA

Marc A. Brown 13-Apr-11 14:48pm

Heh. The email with your last message must've gone out almost as soon as you posted it. And my phone must've picked it up almost immediately as well. I wasn't busy, so I popped out for a quick look. Either that or I'm secretly the Flash. :)

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 13-Apr-11 15:04pm

:-)
Thank you!
--SA

mr.abzadeh 13-Apr-11 14:53pm

I will keep windows and write multi-os UI. I have a lot of research to do. Thank you for your kind, helpfull, and extensive description.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-13T08:26:00

Answering the follow-up Question: new UI for Windows, Linux and Mac.

First, there are several different platforms for Linux; all is based on X-Windows, on top of it there is one or another Windows Manager with their APIs (KDE, Gnome), there is multi-platform Qt and Gtk+ (both available on Windows as well, can be a good point for your) and finally, and CLI-based: .NET (on Windows), Mono — many other platforms). .NET/Mono is based in CLI, ECMA and ISO standard, so this is most solid, but this is much more than UI, this is manages memory, IL JIT-compiled code, lots of goodies, big part if it is Windows-specific, but even non-standard parts are vastly supported by Mono. .NET/Mono can use shared libraries written on native platform, so this will work for you.

So, you could do Windows + Linux + Mac +more development in first place if you used from the very beginning for UI one of the following: Qt, Gtk+, .NET, Mono, .NET + native or Mono + native. If you did so, you would be Linux-ready by now. Also, you could use .NET + native C++ in two ways: 1) Native C++ DLLs linked to .NET applications using P/Invoke, 2) Mixed-mode (managed+unmanaged) C++ and C++/CLI project which can mix up two words an easily interoperate in the same project and same executable module; it would be able to play dual role: main module of .NET Assembly and native DLL.

What can you do now? You can start Linux-ready development using Windows. This approach will be the most convenient for you. You certainly need to keep all your universal and application-specific code in its native form and isolated from UI. You can do all development on Windows and test it on Linux (or other OS) on a regular basis. First you need to choose main platform for UI application: managed or native and for native, chose from Qt or Gtk. I cannot advise which one to pick up for native platform as I moved to managed long time ago and never developed with Qt, Gtk, Gnome or something like that (I developed on Linux long time ago, before those APIs were created and later developed only for Mono). For .NET/Mono, you also should choose from the same platforms, plus you can develop using System.Windows.Forms. I do this, and my applications are run on Linux without recompilation. For native (but portable) project you would need to recompile it all in each platform, of course. .NET/Mono complies in byte-code (IL) and finally compiles for native CPU codes only during run-time, on per-method basis.

Maybe, you did not even hope for multi-platform application. I would not advice you to switch to Linux completely. If you used to Windows, it’s much better to stay with it and prefer multi-OS UI. As I tried to explain, this is quite feasible.

So, what can you say? Decisions, decisions…

—SA