Kito wrote:
I have been experimenting with 64-bits as well. I was able to compile
a few things like libxml2 using 64-bits, enabling 64-bits applications
that use those libraries to link against them and use them. This is
great, and once portage supports it, I'd like to have 64-bits versions
of zlib, etc. to be able to have true 64-bits application userland.
Considering Fink doesn't do this and I've seen many requests for
MonetDB using 64-bits on OSX Tiger, I guess some people would be
really happy if they just installed a ~50MB Gentoo thinger and then be
able to compile and use MonetDB using 64-bits on their Macs...
How would an installer solve this problem? Tiger ships with the 64Bit
libraries (`file /usr/lib/crt1.o`) which should allow anyone to build
for 64Bit targets. A separate profile perhaps?
Unfortunately only the system libraries appear to be "fat" and 64-bits,
the rest isn't. The shipping is indeed a problem, merely because for
some packages setting "-arch ppc64" in cflags is not enough. However,
this is a general gentoo problem.
One way to do it, would be to create a installer with "fat" libraries,
and set the -arch cflags correctly (specifying multiple ones makes fat
files) during the bootstrap process. This might not be what an advanced
user wants, but pretty ok for a regular user.
Another way would be just to make a 64-bits installer only and give it a
strong note that its only interesting for people that know what they are
doing. Then again, I haven't yet investigated how far one can come
doing this before you run into problems which are related to the choice
of 64-bits or not. Our gcc-4 compiler guards us from a lot of problems,
in that it doesn't accept things on 32-bits what it used to do there
only. Basically it's only a cflag.
So last way to do it is just to keep it unofficial. That is for example
if I put the 64-bits installer on my website, and give no support + a
lot of warnings. An emerge info then would immediately reveal a 64-bits
savvy user.
well, this is all just dreaming anyway for now.
--
Fabian Groffen
Gentoo for Mac OS X Project -- Interim Lead
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