[Nexus] Windows support dropped ?

[Akeroyd, FA (Freddie)]

Dear Stéphane,

Windows support hasn't been dropped, but is not fully available in the current download as you say. There were a lot of file and directory reorganisation between 2.0.0 and 3.0.0 as well as the migration to GNU autotools and the addition of XML support so it was decided to rethink how to do the windows support and release that together support with a windows binary installer as 3.0.1. The problem with windows support in 2.0.0 was that it was done with Visual studio project files and so you have to maintain these files as well as all the autotools Makefile and configure scripts. For 3.0.1 we have moved over to using MinGW as the windows build system so that the same Linux Makefiles and scripts can be used on Windows. This does not stop you using Visual Studio for your own NeXus aware programs: we will release a binary version of the NeXus library that you can link to in this build system. What it does mean is that you cannot build the whole NeXus library yourself from the source using visual studio without generating the project files yourself. The current Windows situation is:

Done:
- The development (CVS) version of NeXus (library + all applications) will build under MinGW and can be used/run by native Windows
- A basic Windows MSI installer package will install NeXus and all supporting files/libraries on a computer from a single MSI file.

To Do:
- You need the current version of the Microsoft MSI installer program for this to work; the kit needs improving to allow it to update the Microsoft MSI installer on your system if that is required
- Some Licensing and distribution issues need to be checked for the supporting files (HDF, MXML etc.) to determine what copyright and licence notices etc. we need to include in the package or display during installation.

Hopefully all completed in the next month or so

Regards,

Freddie

--
Freddie Akeroyd
CCLRC ISIS Facility, 
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, 
Chilton, DIDCOT, OX11 OQX, GB   

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nexus-bounces at anl.gov [mailto:nexus-bounces at anl.gov] On Behalf Of
> POIRIER Stephane
> Sent: 25 October 2005 08:59
> To: nexus at anl.gov
> Subject: [Nexus] Windows support dropped ?
> 
> Hello,
> 
> Since Q4 2004, I work at Synchrotron Soleil and I develop an automatic
> recording system for experimental data. One constraint is both Linux &
> Windows will be used by scientists to read and write data. Therefore the
> NeXus format and its ability to store any type of data sets has been
> chosen.
> In the Nexus API v2.0.0 archive, we have found a full support for both
> Linux and Windows and thus developed a preliminary version of our
> recording system for these OS.
> But since NeXus API v3.0.0, support of Windows seems to has been dropped
> (Visual studio projects found in v2.0.0 api archive aren't in v3.0.0 api
> archive). Is it a definitive choice ? Is there any plan to support Windows
> again ?
> We really need to support Windows OS here at Soleil.
> 
> Thank you for your attention.
> 
> °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
> Stéphane POIRIER
> Groupe Gestion des données
> SYNCHROTRON SOLEIL
> Site Web: <http://www.synchrotron-soleil.fr/>
> °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°