Re: [Caml-list] Need help installing OCaml-Cygwin packages!

[Florent Monnier <monnier.florent@gmail.com>]

2013/8/16, wizbyron@yahoo.com <wizbyron@yahoo.com>:
> I'm unable to download/install any OCaml-Cygwin Package to my Win7Ux64 PC?
> These OCaml Cygwin Packages, I've listed below, are listed as available on
> partner website at www.cygwin.com/packages ... But when I run their Cygwin
> setup-x86_64.exe application to install them on my Win7Ux64 PC, not even so
> much as 1 of those OCaml packages/programs is listed to select from, on any
> of
> the mirror download sites that are shown to choose from, within the setup
> program itself! Why is that happening? Also, maybe there might be an
> alternate
> way to download/install them directly from the website itself at
> cygwin.com/
> packages using my web-browser? And how exactly (step-by-step) would I go
> about
> doing that alternative, if that would even work at all for me?..
>
> 1. ocaml - The OCaml compiler and runtime (install helper)
> 2. ocaml-base - The OCaml compiler and runtime (base system)
> 3. ocaml-camlp4 - The OCaml compiler and runtime (camlp4)
> 4. ocaml-compiler-libs - The OCaml compiler and runtime (compiler
> libraries)
> 5. ocaml-llvm - LLVM library (OCaml bindings)
>
> ...And Sincere Thanks for your quick assistance/response to this dire
> situation of mine!

On my side I've tryed all available solutions (included compile from sources).
My test windows environment is Windows 7 on a 32 bit architecture.
Cygwin's ocaml was the one that was working the best for me, but I'm
not using it because using Cygwin's toolchain means that everything
that you do has to be GPL.
So are you sure that's what you want?
I'm currently only doing open-source, but I don't like "coercive freedom".
I like to make free things really freely :p
So I'm using protz ocaml instead,
the download link is available here:
http://caml.inria.fr/download.en.html
The link is called:
"Self installer (4.00.0) for the port based on the MinGW toolchain"
Don't beleive the 4.00.0 indication, it's right 4.00.1 !

But indeed later it's much simple to compile and install other
additional libraries with Cygwin's OCaml than with Protz's OCaml,
mostly because of directory separator.
But I haven't understood why Protz' OCaml uses '\', since when I'm
inside cmd.exe, the windows terminal, using '/' works just fine, but
using '\' inside Cygwin's terminal just clashes...

Anyway for libs using a good old Makefile it's quite easy to fix this
issue. With an _oasis build it may be harder, and most often when I
don't want to waste time, I just rewrite a Makefile from scratch.
Makefiles are usually more portable than oasis builds.

I've never succeed to compile ocaml itself from sources on Windows,
but I'm an early beginner on Windows, you might be more lucky than me
if you try, the complete details are there:
http://caml.inria.fr/pub/distrib/ocaml-4.01/notes/README.win32

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