Compiling for windows from mac?

I bought mac blitzmax, understanding that the license I bought would give me the capability (when it was available) to build windows executables as well. How do I do this? Do I need to wait for a new update? Do I need to download the windows version and copy-paste my code into that?

Thanks, Will.

PS: Blitzmax 1.09, OS 10.3.8

It is my understanding that each of the BlitzMax versions - for Mac, Windows and Linux, each have to be run ON those platforms and have your programs be compiled ON those platforms in order for it to work. There are various libraries and so on that Blitz has to access to build your executable file, which would be installed under the relevant operating systems.

You can't, for example, use the Mac version to build a Windows or Linux executable. It would be a really nice feature, but would presumably be a lot more involved.

What you can do is buy one version of BlitzMax, e.g. the Windows version, then you need to go and download also the Mac and Linux versions which are separate archives. You get all three versions for the one price so you don't have to pay extra - just have to do the extra downloads. You can keep them on your PC but if you want to use them to build Mac/Linux apps you will need a Mac or Linux operating system to run it in. You would then compile within that operating system to produce an exe for it.

So to make versions of your app/game/whatever for all three platforms, you do need access to all three platforms on which to compile it. Presumably you could install Linux on your PC as well as Windows which makes things a little simpler. I wouldn't be too surprised if it isn't long before we begin to see people offering `compilation services` to those that don't have the respective platforms they are targetting. I for one will probably have to contact my cousin to get him to compile the Windows/Linux versions.

I hope you aren't too disappointed to find out that you can't do it all from one IDE on one platform.

Yes. More importantly however you need to do it on Windows.

I agree this is slightly frustrating, particularly that the Linux version doesn't, as one could otherwise use crond to create a "nightly build" of ones software.

So the question arises, what obstacles are in the way of making it possible to produce exe's for every platform from a single platform, and could we do it?

Is it a matter of certain libraries not being available freely? Is it a matter of the compiler or gcc having to run on the platform it's compiling for? What?

What is the use of creating a an executable for a different OS?
If you can't try it on your own, giving some usefull support is next impossible, especially if bugs might come from OS specific stuff or if you need to handle things in an OS specific way for high performance ...

So people who are part of your development team (like for instance a graphics guy) and use a different platform than you (like Windows or Mac) can still run you game, and see if their graphics look the way they intended them to, for more than 30 days, without having to spend 80 bucks on software they'll never actually use, and without you having to buy an expensive machine you won't need.

Just to name a random example.

Who said anything about giving support? Anyone familiar with the term "nightly build" will be immediately aware that such things are not generally considered stable releases.

i can see what FD is saying... ya know, team development on diverse machines...

question... isn't everything source compatible... i mean, send the win version source to the mac guy, and he should be able to run it... right...

the models... textures... all should be no problem...

but the idea of creaing an OSX executable on a Win machine... or a Win exec on a Mac... i mean, wouldn't you at least wanna verify the install and exectuion of the app on the target platform... there are a multitude of possible problems that could present themselves...

me thinks that doing this would be a bad idea... and the question is really academic at best...

--Mike

No. I simply couldn't care less. There is no install and if the application fails to launch a) try again tomorrow, b) get hold of a programmer and ask him to build one for you. I want them to be able to grab the latest developer version off the version control software, and the nightly build off the website, drop them in the same directory, and be able to see how much progress the programming teams have made - in terms that a graphics person can relate to. After all, working software is the primary measure of progress.

Once the game is done, yes by all means lets go through a thorough cross-platform testing phase. But until then could we please focus on getting production ready code and content?

As it is now we have to have seperate Mac and Windows boxes running behind the Linux box, serving no other discernable purpose what so ever, except checking out the project, compiling the source and uploading the binary to the FTP site once every 24 hours. And it's just not particularly cost effective to have two additional systems running 24/7 working a grand total of maybe 3 minutes every day, just for a nightly build feature. It's a waste of perfectly good resources that I'm sure could be put to better use.

If you are patient you can do it via a PC emulator. Here are several that you can choose from:

http://emulation.victoly.com/windoze/


Of course, you need to have a Windows CD to install on the emu. And Linux, I suppose.

BTW, will Blitz run under 95? If not, what is the minimum; 98?

I believe some people have it running on 98 (Ryan Moody I think might have been one of the culprits). don't know about 95

well then... why even waste time discussing it...

you obviously have no intention to, or experience in deploying a medium to large scale cross platform application, or you might take a more realistic approach to this topic...

i was actually supporting your viewpoint above... to a point anyway... but you obviously again are only in this to hear yourself talk... so again, i must conceed to your unique view of everything...


--Mike

That's correct, it works here on Win 98.

Ryan

Well not only are you grieviously mistaken, you're also incapable of reading plain English.

Why not give it another shot?

Yeah, whatever.

But maybe you can enlighten me, although I doubt it. Why would it be "more realistic" for programmers spending large ammounts of time setting up installers, and deployment schemes so three people can test to see how their artwork looks in-game? How is that a valuable allocation of 8 man hours, when a computer can do the the exact same thing in 3 minutes.

The world has moved on in the 20 odd years since you where a supposedly a "professional". We don't use punch cards anymore either.

if you really believe that 'i am incapable of reading plain English', then why are you going to ask me a follow up question in plain English... doesn't seem quite rational, now does it... wouldn't it seem logical, and above all, more rational to ask me the question in a language i would understand...

ahhhhh... typical 'duck...

ok 'duck your dime... my waste of time... i think i should've just ignored your post above entirely and avoided this distraction... i'll learn....


you're right... i can enlighten you about nothing... you already know it all... why did you even waste time asking...

now lets let the topic get back on track, and don't turn this into something about you or me... ok...



--Mike

To answer the question FAAAAR above (before FD started a flamewar again): Yes the code is crossplattform as well as the media are. So you can take the code and media, open it in OSX, Win or Linux and press compile and it should compile without any problems as long as only official modules are used and no "hacks".

I don't speak any language you might understand.

Once you understand the concept of nightly builds, and refrain from all the personal comments about me, we can continue this discussion.

then why do you persist in responding in English, since you say i can't speak it... why...


well... first i couldn't speak English.... now, i have no idea of what a nightly build is...

hahahahahaha... where does this end...

you are the only one that not only understands English, you are the only one knows what a nightly build is...

can ya just stop for a second and listen to yourself...

then, in the light of your foolishness, you have the audacity to imply that i am the one that is making personal statements against you... if this weren't so ludicrously ridiculous, it might be funny...

i've used cvs for a quite few projects i'm involved in... come on 'duck, stop deluding yourself into thinking that you are the only one around here that has any idea of what they are doing...

and stop seeing rational attempts at clearing up a topic as making personal comments directed at you...

when in fact it is you who is personalizing this...

and finally... let the thread go back to the topic it was started about, and stop trying to center it around yourself... the guys here are interested in BlitzMax... not FlameDuck or Red Ocktober...

can ya do that... for everyone's sake...

--Mike

Well yes. I would argue someone who is incapable of differentiating between a "nightly build" to quote me, and "deploying a medium to large scale cross platform application" to quote you, doesn't have the faintest clue what he's talking about.

There are other people here than me and you, you're aware of that, right?

What? Apart from calling me foolish just there? Let's see:



When you lie, it would be best if you tried to at least cover up the evidence.

I think you're the one whose delusional TBH. I happen to know for a fact there are many people who know exactly what they're doing. You just aren't one of them. There's no shame in that.

Again. It would be becomming of you if you did not lie so overtly.

Well until you dragged me into this wonderful exchange of words, I thought I had rather concisely expressed my opinions on the issue at hand.

So to itterate: I needed the functionality in question, not for large scale enterprise deployment, but for small scale nightly builds, so that 3 people on my team, who have made different choices about their prefered software platform than I, and who don't have BlitzMAX, nor a reason to buy it, can still keep tabs on any progress the rest of us makes - and if possible I would rather have my Mac right here, so I can test Mac builds, rather than having it hooked up to a Teir 2 Internet backbone in Northern Germany making nightly builds once a day, which in my opinion is a waste of an otherwise perfectly good Macintosh computer.

read it again... v e r r r r y s l o w l y this time... you'll see that i said 'in the light of your foolishness'... and you'll see that i did not call you foolish... there is a difference...

i guess you can't speak English as well as you think... eh... or at the very least, you don't seem to understand it as well as you think you do...







what lies... i did say these things... they are not attacks, merely obvious observations based on what you said above...

oh boy... now i can see there is no hope for you to stop these delusional comments... hopefully a moderator will lock this...

maybe, now that ya got that lil out burst outta your system... ya feel better...

now, go wipe your mouth with some toilet tissue... and we get back on topic now... and stop indulging spoiledDuck and his tantrums...

you win 'Duck!!! ok... YOU WIN... that should make you happy...

now can we get this thread back to helping people here... this a beginner's forum designed to help people with genuine questions...

be considerate... take this to the Open Topics forum, would ya...

or just shut up for goodness sake...

this thread belongs to the beginers here with genuine questions...

--Mike

Nah, pleeeeeeease continue! Thats was sooooo hilarious! Pretty pleeeeeeease!

Red, you've been noticeably flammable lately. Your time of the month or something?

yeah... must be my time of the month, eh... i guess 'ducky just brings out the best in me...

now, Toby... can ya shut up on this... whatever you may think... huh... and let the thread head back to the topic it originally started out as... k...

--Mike