Time for a BeOS port?

Paul Rohr (paul@abisource.com)
Mon, 11 Jan 1999 16:11:23 -0800


Thomas, Matthew, and other BeOS folks,

Since we've now got several folks interested in collaborating on a BeOS
port, I just wanted to make sure you've got what you need to get started
coding.

At 08:22 AM 1/8/99 -0500, Thomas Fletcher wrote:
>... How coupled is the interface to GTK? I know
>that there is a mention on the web page that there is
>interest is getting a version working using Qt. I would
>hope that that would mean that the interface coupling is
>clean allowing someone to write their own native interface
>functions.

We've tried to keep the interface coupling as lightweight as possible to
maximize code sharing between our existing native Win32 and GTK ports, as
well as future ports to other platforms and/or toolkits. However, don't
take our word for it. By all means, grab a tarball and take a look!

Here's the ultra-quick three-step version of what a port to a new platform
would entail. For the sake of discussion, let's call the target platform
beos. :-)

1. Fire up a gmake-compatible build environment, and tweak
abi/src/config/abi_defs.mk to recognize a new file called, say,
abi/src/platforms/beos.mk which contains the necessary magic pixie dust.

2. Type make and see how far you get. :-)

3. Add code and repeat step 2 as needed.

All told, you'll need to create and populate the following six directories:

abi/src/util/beos utilities (timers, asserts, etc.)
abi/src/ev/beos events (mouse, toolbar, keyboard, menus, etc.)
abi/src/xap/beos top-level cross-app framework (windows, dialogs, etc.)

abi/src/wp/ap/beos wp-specific dialogs and widgets
abi/src/wp/gr/beos 2d graphics primitives
abi/src/wp/main/beos (too easy for words)

In each case, the beos directories are peers to win and unix directories,
and the
relevant xp code is nearby as well.

So, is that enough to get you started? If not, let us know.

Thanks,
Paul



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