Re: [Caml-list] Ocaml 3.03 alpha MinGW port

[Xavier Leroy <xavier.leroy@inria.fr>]

> I'm really not a specialist about this topic, but have now
> (or in a near future) to choose between possible
> Windows "technologies" (Visual C, Cygwin, MinGW) for
> an OCaml program (only a console mode stuff in my case).
> 
> Could anybody explain to me why a MinGW isn't *always*
> preferable to a Cygwin one (use of the same compiler, GCC,
> MinGW being more "direct" Windows without an indirection
> layer, not speaking about licensing problems, etc....).

The full Cygwin provides a rather complete Unix emulation, hence the
OCaml Cygwin port supports the debugger, all of the Unix module, and
(I believe) the LablGTK GUI -- all things that are missing in the
OCaml MinGW port, if I remember correctly.

> I understand well that the Caml Team wants probably to
> maintain a MS C version of the OCaml implementation,
> but wanted to ask the Team if they have some ideas about
> the future of Cygwin/MinGW ports. Isn't a MinGW port, in
> the medium term, preferable to a Cygwin one ? Or do I
> miss a point ?

The situation is quite simple, really:

- We can't support three different Windows port of OCaml; the current
  two are already too much.

- Every time I mention this fact on this list, we get replies of the form
    "I can't live without the Visual C based port of OCaml --
     I'm doing real industrial work, and everything gcc-related is
     just amateur work"
  OR
    "I got a Windows machine because that's the company policy,
     but I really do all my work within the Cygwin environment and
     don't want to hear about anything else".

Draw your own conclusions...

- Xavier Leroy
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