On 06.01.2012 21:02, Adam Wilson wrote:
COFF is an absolute requirements when working on Windows, yet DMD doesn't support it. Everything, every programming interface, every application running on x64 Windows is built with COFF, the default output of every other compiler on Windows is COFF, everyone else programming on Windows is expecting COFF. Windows represents the largest OS install base in the world; and yet, Windows based D programmers are told that they have to dig up extremely esoteric tools from the darkest, smelliest, most cobwebbed corners of the Internet, just to be able to interact with the the rest of the Windows world. This situation is simply unacceptable.
It's not that bad. Most libraries can be compiled to DLL files, in fact that's often the default. DMD/Optlink can use DLL files created by other tool chains just fine. If an import library in the correct format is not available, just use implib or coffimplib to create one. No problem.
Some of the D bindings for C libraries include build scripts for building the library with DMC, to allow for static linking with D programs. Most don't, but you can still get by just fine with the DLL build of the library.
