reactos-kernel

[ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Eric K. <ek...@rz...>]

Hi!

I hacked the idl compiler to build properly on Windows. I also fixed the
preprocessor invocation for Windows. Flex and bison are needed to build
midl. A MinGW port is available at Jos=E9 Fonseca's MinGW site
(http://mefriss1.swan.ac.uk/~jfonseca/gnu-win32/index.html).

As part of the recent cleanup activities I want to move midl into the too=
ls
directory and rename it to ridlc. Renaming is needed to a) avoid any
conflicts with an installed M$ Visual C++ and b) to keep the Micro-boys f=
rom
complaining about stealing 'their' compiler and gpl'ing it.


For the past few days I was searching the net for alternative idl compile=
rs:

I found sidlc, which is part of the samba-tng project
(http://www.samba-tng.org). This compiler already builds a parse tree but
doesn't generate any c code yet. Unfortunately, there is a bug in a parse=
r
action that crashes it. IMO, the scanner and parser seem to be quite poor
compared to our idl compiler. Result: not usable and sources seem to be
unmaintained for about a year but the parse tree looks good.

Of course there is the FreeDCE project. They have a working idl compiler
which is based on the OpenGroup idl compiler. This is a DCE-RPC idl
compiler, not a MS-RPC (aka DCE-RPC plus M$ extensions), and will most
likely not produce MS-RPC compatible c code. IMO, the source code cannot =
be
GPL'd because it is still owned by the OpenGroup. Result: not usable but =
it
might be worth to have a look at.

Any complaints, ideas, comments?


Eric

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[<we...@bo...>]

Quoting Eric Kohl <ek...@rz...>:
> I hacked the idl compiler to build properly on Windows. I also fixed
> the preprocessor invocation for Windows. 
>
Work as in actually generate correct code or just compile?

> As part of the recent cleanup activities I want to move midl into the
> tools directory and rename it to ridlc. Renaming is needed to a) avoid any
> conflicts with an installed M$ Visual C++ and b) to keep the Micro-boys
> from complaining about stealing 'their' compiler and gpl'ing it.
> 
This is a good idea.

> 
> For the past few days I was searching the net for alternative idl
> compilers:
[...]
> 
One thing to note is that whatever idl compiler we use will need to
generate code that works with the rpcrt4 interfaces.

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Eric K. <ek...@rz...>]

<we...@bo...> wrote:

> Work as in actually generate correct code or just compile?

It is more or less a 'it compiles' and doesn't crash. Bison didn't like the
original idl.y file because tokens like UUID_LITERAL were defined but
UUID_TOKEN was used in the grammar rules.


> One thing to note is that whatever idl compiler we use will need to
> generate code that works with the rpcrt4 interfaces.

Sure! That's why I described the alternatives as 'unusable'. They either
don't generate rpcrt4-compatible code or don't generate code at all.

Eric

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Steven E. <ste...@ya...>]

Have you taken a look at the ReWind projets IDL
compiler? 


--- Eric Kohl <ek...@rz...> wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> I hacked the idl compiler to build properly on
> Windows. I also fixed the
> preprocessor invocation for Windows. Flex and bison
> are needed to build
> midl. A MinGW port is available at José Fonseca's
> MinGW site
>
(http://mefriss1.swan.ac.uk/~jfonseca/gnu-win32/index.html).


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Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Eric K. <ek...@rz...>]

"Steven Edwards" <ste...@ya...> wrote:

Hi Steven!

> Have you taken a look at the ReWind projets IDL
> compiler?

I had a look at the ReWind IDL compiler. At present it can generate DCOM
proxy stubs only, but this is no surprise. IMO it is the most advanced IDL
compiler, wrt its design.

Eric

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Steven E. <ste...@ya...>]

The mingw-DTK also contains flex/bison and it is on
sourceforge on the mingw project. I use to compile the
wine resource compiler.

> I hacked the idl compiler to build properly on
> Windows. I also fixed the
> preprocessor invocation for Windows. Flex and bison
> are needed to build
> midl. A MinGW port is available at José Fonseca's
> MinGW site
> (http://mefriss1.swan.ac.uk/~jfonseca/gnu-win32/index.html).

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Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[KJK::Hyperion <no...@li...>]

At 15.53 26/06/2002, you wrote:
>I hacked the idl compiler to build properly on Windows.

cool. One more step towards build environment self-sufficiency. Does it 
compile TLB resources too? or it does just RPC stubs?

>For the past few days I was searching the net for alternative idl compilers:

well, you were luckier than me :-) I could only find IDL compilers for CORBA

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Eric K. <ek...@rz...>]

"KJK::Hyperion" <no...@li...> wrote:

> cool. One more step towards build environment self-sufficiency. Does it
> compile TLB resources too? or it does just RPC stubs?

Please read the whole thread before you start jumping around with a wide
grin on your face, just like pacman. Otherwise you might make a fool of
yourself. ;-)

Our IDL 'compiler' is only an incomplete scanner/parser combination without
a code generator. It is very far form being usable. The best IDL compiler I
have seen is widl from the ReWind project (X11 Wine fork).

Although the ReWind IDL compiler is the best I have seen yet, I don't feel
comfortable with contributing to ReWind.

Eric

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Steven E. <ste...@ya...>]

> Although the ReWind IDL compiler is the best I have
> seen yet, I don't feel
> comfortable with contributing to ReWind.
> 
> Eric

Simple dude....adopt it to the winehq tree and make it
lgpl. Alexandre hasnt added it because no one has sent
him patches. Unless you just dont want to piss Eric P
or Ove off. =) If its a license thing with ReWind
remeber we can "do what thou wilt"

Thanks
Steven

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Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Casper H. <ch...@us...>]

fre, 2002-06-28 kl. 01:23 skrev Eric Kohl:

> 
> Although the ReWind IDL compiler is the best I have seen yet, I don't feel
> comfortable with contributing to ReWind.
> 
> Eric

Same feelings here.

Casper

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Jason F. <jas...@ya...>]

Then fork it here. But is not contributing to ReWind worth the
additional effort to take a step backwards for ReactOS?

- Jason

--- Casper Hornstrup <ch...@us...> wrote:
> fre, 2002-06-28 kl. 01:23 skrev Eric Kohl:
> 
> > 
> > Although the ReWind IDL compiler is the best I have seen yet, I
> don't feel
> > comfortable with contributing to ReWind.
> > 
> > Eric
> 
> Same feelings here.
> 
> Casper
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Casper H. <ch...@us...>]

fre, 2002-06-28 kl. 14:00 skrev Jason Filby:
> Then fork it here. But is not contributing to ReWind worth the
> additional effort to take a step backwards for ReactOS?
> 
> - Jason

As Steven pointed out, we can fork it with a more restrictive license.

Casper

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Casper H. <ch...@us...>]

Ooops, I should have read your mail more carefully...

fre, 2002-06-28 kl. 14:10 skrev Casper Hornstrup:
> fre, 2002-06-28 kl. 14:00 skrev Jason Filby:
> > Then fork it here. But is not contributing to ReWind worth the
> > additional effort to take a step backwards for ReactOS?
> > 
> > - Jason

For me it is, but it may not be for others. In any case, an LGPL fork
can still use the X11 licensed patches from ReWind.

> 
> As Steven pointed out, we can fork it with a more restrictive license.
> 
> Casper

Casper

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[KJK::Hyperion <no...@li...>]

At 01.23 28/06/2002, you wrote:
> > cool. One more step towards build environment self-sufficiency. Does it
> > compile TLB resources too? or it does just RPC stubs?
>Please read the whole thread before you start jumping around with a wide 
>grin on your face, just like pacman. Otherwise you might make a fool of 
>yourself. ;-)

it's called "hope"

>Although the ReWind IDL compiler is the best I have seen yet, I don't feel 
>comfortable with contributing to ReWind.

Why not? technical, political or personal reasons?

Re: [ros-kernel] midl compiler

[Steven E. <ste...@ya...>]

> >Although the ReWind IDL compiler is the best I have
> seen yet, I don't feel 
> >comfortable with contributing to ReWind.
> 
> Why not? technical, political or personal reasons?

ReWind is the X11 fork of the original WINE code base.
After the wine community decided to go LGPL due to
issues with Transgaming and "others". Most changes to
wine are licensed X11 including the ones I contribute
however it is understandable for someone to not want
there patches licensed X11. Thhere a quite a few
developers that are LGPL and that is cool but thier
code can only go in the Winehq tree.

I submit all of my stuff as X11 so that Transgaming
can make use of it and mabey help with the DirectX
port to ReactOS as the CEO of Transgaming has
expressed interest in ReactOS.

Thanks
Steven 

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