Thread: mac+windows app

Originally Posted by matsp

We would also have to build a system-specific loader that loads our generically supported file-format. So in Windows, we'd have something that uses VirtualAlloc() to allocate memory for the appliction to run in, and then load the code into the allocated memory.

But then again, you would need a custom loader, which would have to be compiled into an application somehow, which would repeat the whole argument above. There's no way you're getting a compiled application running on Windows and Linux or Mac (with the same executable).
And besides, it's just more profitable to compile the code on the different platforms and end up with different binaries. No need to develop expensive special loader systems and testing to make sure it works on all platforms and the extra work and researching it takes to create platform-independent code.

Originally Posted by Elysia

But then again, you would need a custom loader, which would have to be compiled into an application somehow, which would repeat the whole argument above. There's no way you're getting a compiled application running on Windows and Linux or Mac (with the same executable).
And besides, it's just more profitable to compile the code on the different platforms and end up with different binaries. No need to develop expensive special loader systems and testing to make sure it works on all platforms and the extra work and researching it takes to create platform-independent code.

I agree. I was just trying to explain that it IS possible - just not very practical, because, as you explained, you end up with some components that are system dependant, and those need to be developed and compiled for multiple platforms.

Of course, if you have a HUGE application that you want to produce for multiple platforms, it may be simpler to produce a small layer of "shim" to connect to the OS proper - whether that is a separate loader and API/ABI shim, or just a set of library functions that interface between the application proper and the OS dependant components is a different question.

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Mats