I look at it like this: The reason for using MacOS X rather than Linux or some other *NIX is that drop dead gorgeous GUI and the tight integration between all the apps and between apps and hardware.
In principle one could install a full FSF environment on MacOS X - FSF gcc, all the libraries and utilties, Xfree86 with Gnome or KDE etc.. Why bother? One could get almost the identical effect finding some cheap old PC, loading up Linux, and accessing it using VNC from the Mac desktop. It would all work without hassle. That is how I run my webserver for 5,000 odd students. OTOH if you want to use Project Builder, AppKit and all the other good stuff which is unique to OS X, you really must use the Apple compiler and port your project properly. The way Jim Ingham and others have done the Aqua version of Tcl/Tk seems to me to be a good example of the way to go. Most of the GPL code is left intact a new 'macosx' directory is created in the source tree which just contains the Mac specific code for the GUI and a PB project to make it all build sweetly. This way you do not break the standard UNIX build and you avoid the mass of issues with autoconf picking up inappropriate libraries when building on OS X. MacOS X is now the common form of *NIX on the planet. There is not much excuse for treating it as a marginal hack. Others of course may see the issue quite differently to me. Bill Northcott [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote on 31/07/2002 07:41:41 AM: > OK then, is it possible to build FSF gcc3.1.x on Darwin 5.5 / Mac OS X .... > subversive ... I just don't understand the issues, obviously. Will FSF > gcc3.1.x ever be usable on Darwin in the same ways it is on other > *nixes? FSF gcc3.2? Can someone illuminate me?
