Re: gitk unusable in cygwin-1.7.6-1 because tcltk-20080420-1 is native win32 app.

[Reini Urban <rurban at x-ray dot at>]

Charles Wilson schrieb:
> On 8/28/2010 10:31 AM, Reini Urban wrote:
> > 2010/8/27 Charles Wilson:
> > > Obviously git and
> > > python-idle both work with X (on linux) so it's doable to convert --
> > > just a nuisance.
> >
> > A big nuisance in my eyes.
> > Why do I have to start a xserver, when I can use native fast small GDI?
>
> Why do you have to start cygserver (for posix IPC), when you can use
> native fast small named pipes, or native fast small shared memory?

Because we don't have posix IPC semantics in native windows.

> So, the right answer is a "real" port of tcl/tk.  There are two ways to
> do this:
>
>    1) just compile it like you would on unix. Then, you get X11, not GDI
> -- but you also avoid all the other win32isms. This will "just work";
> recompile with the "correct" options and you're golden.
>
>    2) disentagle all the assumptions in the tcl/tk code between
> "windowing system" and "win32ness as it relates to non-windowing code".
> This is a BIG job, and NOBODY wants to do it.

I did it for perltk two years ago and posted the patches to the perltk 
tracker. It was a nobrainer, needed one day and was straightforward.
Tk is very well prepared for supporting windows GDI or unix X.

But I'm not interested to maintain it. And I'm not interested
to have to start startxwin for a simple tk gui.

pTk is essentially the same as Tk upstream, just portable, hence the 
name. Just two lines are problematic, using the unix event loop with 
/dev/windows should be replaced by using the native windows event loop.
pTk/mTk/win/tkWinX.c:
GetMessage() via select() on /dev/windows and callback did not work for me.
http://rt.cpan.org/Public/Bug/Display.html?id=31792

I have no idea what would be involved to try out the pTk cygwin Win32 
wish instead of the original tk wish. If anyone is concerned about our 
current tcltk path mess should try it. http://search.cpan.org/dist/Tk/
The Tk svn already has my cygwin patches in.
But I have more important things to do.

--
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
FAQ:                   http://cygwin.com/faq/
Documentation:         http://cygwin.com/docs.html
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple