On 28/12/2010 04:53, emanu wrote:
Well, just forget it... I have not intentionally tryed to be ironic or
complain in a rude way about GCC in the face of GCC users and sorry if
that's how I came across. I sincerely thought that since the source code I
want to edit was mentioned having been compiled in GCC is maybe would have
to be compiled in GCC or at least that that would be the shortest way to
success. I might have mixed the concept of a program language (C) with the
concept of a tool to work with it (GCC) thinking that then there should be
command and windows style application of this GCC. Now I think I clearly
understand GCC has really "nothing to do" with the fact it has originally
been compiled in GCC and written in C. It's not a "C-program", compiled in
GCC wich for less skilled user is dificult and therefore could use the
windows style version ex MinGW of GCC. It's rather a "C-program" and thereÂs
a number of compilers, some command line style and among theese GCC and some
windows style ones like MinGW and really windows style ones like
Code::Blocks etc. I guess it's have not been clear enough to me even thou I
have been on GCCs site Googled on it etc. It's a lot of information and
terms etc and what I might have needed was a simple, clear explanation "for
dummies" of GCC, what it is etc. It's actually a thing I tryed to find thru
Google "GCC for Dummies". Thought I understood some of it but that I got
stuck somehow somewhere and so I thought a forum then could actually clear
things out even if sensing it might not be the truely right place for it.
Didn't have any other ideas thou. Maybe the question to have asked would
have been What is really GCC and for what do you or should you use it? But
now I think I get it enough to say it a closed/resolved matter. So sorry and
thanks.
People in this mailing list are trying to be helpful, but I believe you
have some very basic misunderstandings about gcc, compilers, gui
programs, and C. Your problems are not really about gcc or its use, and
therefore this is the wrong mailing list. But let me try to clear up
things a little here, and point you in the right direction.
You are trying to work with a program written in C (gravit). Thus you
are looking for a C compiler, and have discovered that gcc is a C compiler.
First, you have to understand what a compiler actually is. It is a
program that takes C source code, and generates machine-executable
object code. There is no such thing as a "gui" compiler, or
"windows-style" compiler - compilers are by their nature command-line
programs. They are run with various options, read some files in, and
write files out. There is no need nor use of a gui here, and no serious
compiler attempts to have such a windowed or graphics interface.
gcc is such a command line compiler.
When you download the gcc packages from the gcc website (or ftp site),
you are downloading the source code for gcc. This is of interest to
developers, package maintainers, curious hobby users, etc. It is of
little interest to end-users - they will normally want a ready-build
binary for their operating system and processor of choice.
MinGW is a an example of such a ready-built gcc binary for windows. It
is a package of ready-to-run compiler tools, libraries, and related
tools. It is often used in conjunction with msys, which is a collection
of Linux-style utilities for use on windows. Please look at the msys
and mingw websites for information about downloading and installing
these. Unfortunately, the process is not as simple as it could be - be
prepared to read a bit rather than just clicking an "install" link. If
you intend to build other open source software packages, then I
recommend you install msys as well as mingw, as a lot of software uses
the Linux-style utilities for building. Note that neither mingw nor
msys has a gui, nor are they "windows-style" programs. They are
collections of command-line programs.
The tool you are mixing up is the IDE, or "integrated development
environment". An IDE is an editor, project manager, and often debugger
that provides a front-end to a compiler. It is not a compiler itself -
it runs the compiler "in the background" as needed. The editor and the
debugger front-end are gui programs for user-interaction, while
compilation is done using the command-line compiler program, automated
by the IDE. Code::Blocks is one such IDE, available for many systems.
One choice for downloading and installing Code::Blocks on windows
includes mingw, i.e., the gcc compiler on windows. This may be your
easiest option, though it does not include the other useful utilities
from msys.
Once you believe you have your IDE and compiler in place, it is time to
try a /small/ program. Write, compile and run a "Hello world" program
before you try to go any further.
A program like "gravit" is large, and depends on a lot of other
libraries. It is not a simple matter to compile when you are unfamiliar
with the process. You may want to use simpler programs to start with.
To compile gravit, you need to install a number of other libraries. The
gravit website gives a list of these, including SDL, OpenGL and Lua.
You must first find and install these libraries for your system. You
then need to modify the makefile for gravit to get the library
installation paths right (read the instructions on the gravit website,
or in the gravit source code).
There is a google group for gravit, where you may find some help.
However, you may also be told that you should spend more time learning
the basics first, before trying to build gravit on windows.
An alternative you should consider if you are serious about learning C
development, is to switch to Linux (I recommend Linux Mint for newcomers
to Linux). Building a program like gravit is much simpler under Linux,
because all the parts (gcc, utilities, libraries) are either
pre-installed, or are easily installed from the distribution's package
manager.
I wish you luck on your quest, and hope you enjoy working with C and
gcc. Remember, it's the journey that's important, not the destination.
And if all else fails, try the pre-build gravit binary for windows:
<http://gravit.slowchop.com/dist/gravit-0.4.2-win32-installer.exe>
