[vlc-devel] Re: wxUnicode: no support < Win-NT/2000/XP

[Damien Fouilleul]

zcot,

when you compile wxWidgets UNICODE for win32, you will typically get 
this warning during a configure
...
checking for main in -lunicows... no
configure: WARNING: Compiler doesn't support MSLU (libunicows.a), disabled.
Applications will only run on Windows NT/2000/XP!
...

in order to support older windows platform, the libunicows library needs 
be present when wxWidgets is compiled.

it is available at:

http://libunicows.sourceforge.net/

in order to make it work on WIN9x/ME, one will need to install MSLU or 
opencow.dll, available at the following links

http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/handson/dev/mslu_announce.mspx
http://opencow.sourceforge.net/


Damien

· zcot · wrote:

> hi guys,
>
> the latest sources have lost support for Win9x. Unfortunately 
> wxWidgets just bombs that whole scenerio and offers a friendly dialog 
> instead:
>
> wxWidgets Fatal Error:
> This program uses Unicode and requires Windows NT/2000/XP.
> Program aborted.
>
> I've been messing around trying to figure a way around it. I can 
> imagine a few variations but don't quite have the knowledge and 
> experience to implement it, or frankly to even attempt to implement 
> it.. O_O
>
> Three solutions I have thought are possible are:
>
> 1. don't support win9x.
> 2. don't use unicode on win9x.
> 3. use unicode on Win9x.
>
> =======================
>
> #1. http://www.videolan.org/stats/200509/awstats.videolan.osdetail.html
>
> #2. if there were 2 options for the static libs within the contrib 
> then I could imagine this working.. -the new existing one with unicode 
> and one as before w/o. But then what happens in configure? and 
> bootstrap maybe? It appears from my perspective(of being fairly 
> clueless of all the auto file and configurationing etc.) that tweaks 
> could span quite a few files if this was to be a viable option.
>
> And I would guess that in some configuration sequence the system would 
> have to be checked for version appropriately.. -or maybe that part 
> could be as simple as a config opt? --with-win9x or --with-winnt ? who 
> knows..
>
> so that thought involves seeing the 2 variations of systems as 
> different with one being able to use unicode and the other not.. 
> -maybe not a great design. And I guess this would mean crazy 
> programming too with alot of #ifdef undef !def !labh #b-lah stuff 
> everywhere.
>
> This design seems to have quite a bit of drawback.. -at least from my 
> perspective.
>
> However, I've dug out some more info and I do know for a fact that 
> unicode programs can run on win9x systems, and apparently it can be 
> done with wx as well, though there are some drawbacks here too mainly 
> being that a 3rd party dll will be needed(unicows.dll).
>
> /* And then additionally who knows how the wxWidgets lib will develop 
> to support this issue? and how and/or when? I realize that the some of 
> the exact same lib calls did not act bad in previous versions and were 
> offering forward "limited support" toward unicode, but now those same 
> calls are not even non-unicode compatible it seems. wth?! blegh.. */
>
> anyway, #3. use unicode
>
> And I assume in this kind of setup(from the build perspective) it 
> would be a matter of using the unicode option as pointed out here:
> http://g.yi.org/?f=12666#unicodesettings
>
> and that the vlc codebase would be a much cleaner and more consise 
> implementation.. -probably with less needed patchings(due to future 
> changes in wx?) and special attention toward 2 variations.
>
> here's an old post from the wxForums from 2 months ago:
> http://www.solidsteel.nl/users/wxwidgets/viewtopic.php?t=3514&highlight=win9x+unicode 
>
>
> line 1048 of C:\cygwin\usr\win32\include\wx-2.6\wx\msw\setup0.h:
> #ifndef wxUSE_UNICODE_MSLU
> #define wxUSE_UNICODE_MSLU 0
> #endif
> (so win9x will need to specify `wxUSE_UNICODE_MSLU')
>
> I'm gonna drop this line in the vlc widgets.h and try that:
> #define wxUSE_UNICODE_MSLU 1
>
> or maybe better would be:
> #ifdef wxUSE_UNICODE_NT
> #define wxUSE_UNICODE_MSLU 0
> #elseif wxUSE_UNICODE_9x
> #define wxUSE_UNICODE_MSLU 1
> #endif
>
> or actually the best might be getting the autotools to handle a config 
> switch:
> ...? O_O
>
> Here's a potential area I think:
> Changeset [12764] by damienf:
> I am really clueless on these type of hieroglyphics, but I think 
> something could be pushed around there maybe like a mslu flag?
> (..and in this scenerio I think no code would need changes, only 
> whatever configurationing changes would pull it off properly.. and the 
> contrib remains as is.)
>
> Changeset [12762] by courmisch: wx requirements
> "Now require wx2.6 with Unicode support".. so these things can move 
> closer to that.
>
> geez, I wish I had a better handle here..
>
> in trunk/modules/gui/wxwidgets/wxwidgets.h:
> #define wxUSE_UNICODE 0
> alone doesn't work I'm guessing since there's no non-unicode static 
> lib option(not to mention a configuration that would account for it).
>
> Anyway, I'm going to be trying various things, but of course any 
> direction would be quite useful I'm sure since, well, frankly, I am 
> stabbing in the dark.
>
> Hopefully some of this is useful.. too bad I can't just work up a 
> changeset, but at least I feel I've encapsulated alot of the related 
> points and communicated what I've found. :/
>
> zcot
>
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