Windows Subsystem for Linux - compiling

Development GitHub
#1

To Update

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

You'll need Git

sudo apt-get install git

To clone the repository

cd /home
git clone https://github.com/metaeducation/ren-c.git

which clones the repo into the /home/ren-c/ directory

To compile for Linux

Install Make

sudo apt-get install make

Get r3-make

cd /home/ren-c/make
wget https://s3.amazonaws.com/metaeducation/r3-make/r3-make
sudo chmod +x r3-make

And compile

cd /home/ren-c/make
make -f makefile.boot

and this should compile with no errors. You should end up with a r3 which is already executable. Just type ./r3

To Install a cross compiler for Windows

Instructions on SO

sudo apt-get install mingw-w64

Then you can create 32-bit Windows executable with:

i686-w64-mingw32-gcc -o main32.exe main.c

And 64-bit Windows executable with:

x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc -o main64.exe main.c

Note that these Windows executables will not work inside Linux Subsystem, only outside of it.

Need to Fix something?

cd /home/ren-c/src
grep -r thefunctionIwanttofix

Disk space left?

To see if you're running out of disk space

df

PS: need the commands for compiling ren-c here as well

#2

I tried this, and it worked.

However, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to do this when VirtualBox is free and available.

With a virtual machine, you have a convenient disk image file that is effectively a computer. You can snapshot it, send it around on the internet, etc. You do not have to deal with whatever quirks of the Microsoft-specific hosting are.

As I understand it, this is more of a hypervisor, and so it may perform better than your average VM. But still, I would not think it worth it.

#3

When I am compiling on the windows side, I can use linux command line tools like grep and find to search etc.

Also when I used a vm, there was also the issue of the mouse not working so well inside the vm, and ports needed to be on a different address. Whereas server testing on linux uses the same port as the windows side.

#4

VMs default to simulating a wired network connection. But you can choose to give them more direct access to the host's network interface if you wish.

#5

and how do you easily solve moving files across from the vm to windows? Here I just can use cp but with a vm I think I have to set up network shares.

#6

If you have the tools installed in the VM, you can mount a folder on the host like any other drive.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VirtualBox/SharedFolders

You can also drag and drop files with the extensions, though I don't ever do that.

#7

I'm sure that this can be easily argued ad infinitum

but for the thread, what are the specific commands to cross compile to windows ( I guess I can look at the travis-ci .yml to find out! ).

#8

Well, how about you be the person who supports people interested the Windowsy-Linux.

And I will field questions about building in a VM.

Of course, this will be a problem if you start asking me questions and I deem the weirdness to be coming from your choice. :slight_smile:

("slight smile" says Discourse)

#9

Well, this thread is to help people like myself have an easier transition to using linux tools however they chose to use them.