Re: Windows support

From: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
Date: Jul 26, 2007, 05:28 UTC
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0707260614500.14781@racer.site>
In-Reply-To: <7v6447bxc1.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

Hi,

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 6 quoted lines

> If that is the case, "Git for Windows" probably should package MSYS as 
> part of it, I would think, to match the expectation of the users there.  
> I know two Johannes'es and Han-Wen spent quite a lot of effort on 
> Windows port and packaging, but perhaps that little (well, I should not 
> be judging if that is a little or huge, as I do not do Windows) 
> finishing touch would make Windows users much happier?

Windows users are only happy when they can bug developers.

Seriously again, the biggest problem with Han-Wen's installer was that it insists on cross-compiling _all_ the packages. This makes it easy for Han-Wen to upgrade packages and compile the thing on Linux in one go. However, it never worked with bash, and I could not fix it: I can read Python, but not _that_ Python.

So my plan was to wrap everything needed from an existing MinGW/MSYS installation, with a minimal installer (NullSoft or whatever) to setup the exec dir, perl lib path etc...

However, my time is scarce, and it does not exactly help that all I can expect from those who should be thankful is even more complaining.

I mean, I understand Linus' point. I don't even expect a Windows user to compile C. It's long time since I was silly enough to believe that. But just wrapping it up in an installer, and a little testing, seems to be too much to ask. When I don't need the darned thing to begin with.

Ciao, Dscho