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Hi everyone,
I'm sure this answer is obviously to the point of trivial to some, but I looked around a bit and couldn't find a suitable answer. ^_^
My C++ compiler produces a .exe file. Someone told me that they couldn't run one of my programs as they were using a mac which couldn't open .exe files. So what type of file would a mac C++ programmer produce, and would they work on PCs?
Thanks in advance for any replies,
Kind Regards:)
Stonehambey
.appQuote:
Originally Posted by Stonehambey
If you want a C++ program to work on a mac, you have to compile it on a Mac or with a compiler that creates an executable that runs on the mac OS you are targeting. Just changing the extension won't help.
I ask simply because I'm probably going to be buying a new laptop when I start my postgrad course next year and am weighing up the pros and cons of buying a mac over a pc. Since C++ has become one of the more prominant uses for my current laptop I wouldn't want anything to get in the way of that :)
If I create a .app file using a mac, will it run on a pc? I sometimes put programs on my site and want it to reach as many people as possible.
When you're learning C++, you generally write code and copy the code to your different machines as necessary. If you write portable code (which most C++ learners should), then while you're on the Mac you can compile it into something that runs on Mac. Then you can copy the code to a PC and compile it on the PC for something that runs on the PC.
Mac OS X runs a Unix style system, and it might even have the gcc compiler installed already, so you shouldn't have any trouble writing code for it.
Just to clarify: the extension of the file is not really what matters here. That's only making it easy for us humans to recognize the type of the file. [1]
What happens, however, is that the different OS makers come up with different ways to store the executable file. The file contains (essentially) identical code in itself, but the data that the OS uses to tell how large the code is, how large the data section is, what DLL's or .so files (Unix/Linux/MacOS X corresponding to DLL's) this particular executable file relies on, etc, etc, is what changes [and of course, if the machines have different processors, then the code itself will also be different, but nowadays Mac's use the same type of processor as PC's].
[1] Yes, windows still uses the extension to recognize if the file can be executed or not, but you can actually add for example .app to the list of executable extensions, should you wish.
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Mats
In a nutshell: if you write portable code, then you should be able to compile it under Mac and Windows, generate executables specific to a platform, and run it under that platform. However, compiling it under one system and running it in another isn't going to work very well.
On the other hand, it can be useful to compile for different platforms on one system. For example, on my Linux system I can use wine to generate a Windows executable. I can also emulate Mac OS 7 (which is ancient), though I've never really gotten anything to compile there. (Supposedly MPW works. I've gotten it to work on a native Mac OS 9 system, but not OS 7.)
I have no idea how difficult it would be to create Windows executables from a Mac or vise versa. Probably quite difficult. You'd likely have to have two different machines or some emulation software of some sort.
You can even use BootCamp with your Mac, install a minimal version of Windows just for compiling and creating executables, and you are done in *native* environment. :)
If you want compile-once-run-everywhere, try Java.
C++ is at best write-once-compile-everywhere currently.
Thanks for the replies guys. Based on these answers I think I will forgo the mac for the moment. I can't really justify paying 3 times what I would for a pc with the same specs. I've never really been one to buy into apple's smug image :)
I've already fallen for C++ I'm afraid. Besides, isn't Java write-once-debug-everywhere? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberfish
Cheers,
Stonehambey