Re: [Caml-list] Dynamic linking

[skaller <skaller@users.sourceforge.net>]

On Fri, 2007-06-15 at 18:03 +0200, Alain Frisch wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I'm pleased to announce the existence of an experimental branch in
> OCaml's CVS. Main changes:
> 
> * Dynamic loading of OCaml code in native code programs, through
>   the Dynlink module.
> 
> * Simplified dynamic linking of C code under Windows.
> 
> 
> More info: http://alain.frisch.fr/natdynlink.html
> 
> Enjoy and send some feedback!

A question, probably not directed at Alain: will there be support
for AMD64/64 bit Ocaml for Windows XP64/VC2005 +/- Vista?
Windows ports are all 32 bit at the moment aren't they?

Also a question: how does the Windows native (MSVC based) Ocaml
code find C libraries? The VC2003 style DLL-hell approach is now
deprecated on Windows platforms: you have to use Assemblies,
that is, ship applications with manifests and related components
which are installed in system caches to get around DLL-hell.

The resulting system is horrible to prepare for vendors I think,
I haven't figured it out, but it does support multi-version and
multi-arch, and seems more sophisticated the Linux versioning
technology.

The bottom line, however, is you simply cannot link to a DLL
by just plonking it in the PATH anymore.

-- 
John Skaller <skaller at users dot sf dot net>
Felix, successor to C++: http://felix.sf.net