Re: [Mingw-cross-env-list] files in usr/bin

[Volker Grabsch]

Mark Brand <address@hidden> schrieb:
> These files appear in usr/bin without the target prefix. Is that right?
> 
> GenPat
> LibraryLocal
> makensis
> 
> They all come from nsis.

While I cleaned up usr/bin, I stumbled over them, too.

NSIS is a native tool, and it is win32 specific by construction.
So these binaries are for sure the same ones you would get by
installing the latest NSIS via your distro.

However, hardly any distro besides Debian provides NSIS, and
you need a cross compiler (i686-pc-mingw32-gcc) to build some
parts of it.

So on the one hand, NSIS is an exotic cross-compiling tool
and thus should be part of Mingw-cross-env, even if it doesn't
belong to a certain library.

On the other hand, NSIS is a normal code generator, so one
might argue it should be provided by the distro, as it is
the case for autoconf, flex, etc.  And building it in Mingw-
cross-env causes much trouble on certain 64-bit systems.

However, NSIS produces win32 binaries, much like i686-pc-mingw32-as
but for a different language, so it should be part of Mingw-
cross-env. Also, you need a cross compiler (i686-pc-mingw32-gcc)
to build some important parts of NSIS.

Well, NSIS a hard corner case. I see the following possibilites
and it would be helpful for me to read some opinions on that:


    (1) Treat NSIS like flex, i.e. remove it from Mingw-cross-env.

        (1a) Maybe provide binaries for various platforms via
             a separate project.

    (2) Treat NSIS like as, i.e. keep it in Mingw-cross-env and
        prefix its tools with i686-pc-mingw32.

    (3) Treat NSIS like as, but without a prefix.
        (i.e. keep things as they are)



Greets,

    Volker

-- 
Volker Grabsch
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