Some Win32 tools (used in building Unicon, among other things)
This page contains links to the Win32 binaries for some important
open source development tools, used in creating Windows Unicon.
These tools have better official distribution sites where more recent
versions appear from time to time, but the exact set used in building
Unicon is presented here in the hope that Unicon can be built reliably
and identically by anyone who wishes to build from sources on Windows.
The order of files presented is significant, first files probably are
needed first in order to make use of later files.
- unzip.exe
- A free command-line unzip program for files ending in .zip. No one
should use "WinZip" in violation of the terms of that fine program.
- gunzip.exe
- The GNU unzip decompression tools, for files ending in .gz
- tar.exe
- A Windows version of UNIX tar(1), for files ending in .tar
- mingw-1.0.1-20010726.tar.gz
- Minimum GNU CC compiler and libraries. Create a c:\usr and unpack there.
- make.exe (old)
- This comes from one of the larger utilities distributions below.
-
ush.exe and
sh.exe
-
ush.exe is a small subset of sh (source:
ush.icn),
sufficient for "make" to build Unicon on
Vista (if you rename it sh.exe). sh.exe is a more complete Bourne shell
that comes from one of the larger utilities
distributions below; it works with "make" on Windows up until XP SP1 or so but
is broken on latest XP service packs and Vista.
- isetup-2.0.19.exe
- Inno Setup, a nice freeware installer tool
- emacs-23.2-bin-i386.zip at 44.7M
(or the older 17M emacs-21.2-fullbin-i386.tar.gz)
- Gnu Emacs for Windows
- gdb-5.2.1-1.exe
- A GDB which works with this GCC
- uniutils.zip
(Unicon needs at least individual files:
basename
chmod
cp
diff
rm
touch
uname;
grep is also useful)
(or a much larger unix utilities collection)
- A collection of GNU unix utilities, including an "sh" needed to build
Unicon. Note: larger collection unpacks in odd directory structure;
the executables, including ones in bin and .../wbin subdirectories,
all need to go into a directory on your path.
- SSH 3.2.9 free non-commercial version
- This version of SSH includes an ssh2.exe that might work well as the
target of the CVS_RSH environment variable, for use with CVS above.
- obsolete SSH
- This is an older, free SSH that is known to work with the CVS above.
You need to set a HOME environment variable to some legal directory.
- Opengl .h and .a files for Mingwin32
- Unpack in your /usr to install in /usr/include/GL and /usr/lib.
- JPEG lib
- PNG lib
- This is a repackaging of libpng 1.2.35 from source forge, including
zlib 1.2.3 libraries and headers.
- Oggvorbis for Mingwin32
- Unpack in your /usr to install in /usr/include/GL and /usr/lib.
- libftgl.a, freetype6.dll
- For forthcoming 3D font support.
- WGLGears.exe and C source
- A Win32 version of glxgears, for testing your opengl driver speed.
- win95 GL dlls
- windows 95 opengl dll's
- Xming
- minimum GNU X server
- NT 4.0 Service Pack 6, LOL
- you do not want this except under very special circumstances
Dr. J's Unicon Build Instructions
Windows Vista
Building Unicon on Windows Vista is fantastically more difficult.
The Mingw32 toolchain which worked fine is suddenly broken, make
doesn't work, etc. The error messages are obtuse or nonexistent.
I finally got Unicon to build OK on Vista by doing the following, which should
be considered as an addition to the pre-vista instructions below.
- Set Unicon's path directories to the front of the (system) path.
- Reason: getenv("PATH") returns a (much-)truncated string on Vista.
- Add two gcc-related directories to the system path, one where
gcc.exe lives and one under gcc-lib/ wherever cpp0.exe is located.
- gcc.exe does not find cpp0.exe on its own properly
- "Downgrade" (or "update") sh.exe to one that works,
written in a few lines of Unicon
- Reason: old mingw-toolchain sh.exe fails on newer XP and Vista. While
my sh.exe is enough to run the Unicon build steps, it is NOT
a complete UNIX shell and should not be mistaken for one.
- Set C_INCLUDE_PATH to C:\usr\include
- Because gcc doesn't find its include files reasonably on Vista
- Set LIBRARY_PATH to C:\usr\lib;C:\usr\lib\gcc-lib\mingw32\2.95.3-5
- Because gcc doesn't find its libraries reasonably on Vista
Pre-Vista
- download, install cvs.exe, tar.exe, unzip.exe, etc in \bin, add to path
- set HOME to c:\bin or some such (used by ssh.exe)
- set CVS_RSH to ssh, CVSROOT=user@unicon.cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/unicon
- unpack unixutils, creating \usr, \usr\local etc, add usr\local\wbin to path
- unpack gcc from \usr, creating \usr\bin, \usr\include, etc, add usr\bin to path
- unpack gdb, creating \usr\mingw\bin, add to path
- unpack mingopengl in \usr, don't need .a files but do need .h files
- unpack jpeg-6b-1-lib.zip in \usr