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diff --git a/compat/unicows/readme.txt b/compat/unicows/readme.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..00967fc --- /dev/null +++ b/compat/unicows/readme.txt @@ -0,0 +1,163 @@ + + + ============================================= + libunicows + ------------------------------------- + Import library for + Microsoft Layer for Unicode (unicows.dll) + + http://libunicows.sourceforge.net + ============================================= + + + About +======= + +Traditionally, win32 Unicode API was only available on Windows NT or 2000. If +you wanted to take advantage of Unicode in your application and support Windows +95/98 at the same time, your only option was to deploy two executables, one for +NT and one for 9X. + +Fortunately, this changed in 2001 when MS (finally!) released MSLU runtime that +allows Unicode applications to run under Windows 9X. + +See these pages for details: + + http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/handson/dev/mslu_announce.mspx + http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/nettop.asp?page=/msdnmag/issues/01/10/MSLU/MSLU.asp&ad=ads.ddj.com/msdnmag/premium.htm + +Less fortunately, this solution requires that you use a special statically +linked import library that decides at runtime whether to load symbols from +system libraries like kernel32.dll or user32.dll (in case of Windows NT) or +from unicows.dll (which provides Unicode emulation layer under 9X). This import +library is only available for Microsoft Visual C++ and is only part of the new +Platform SDK, which is rather huge package. + +This library contains independent implementation of the import library. It can +be used with any C compiler (although it was only tested with Mingw32 and MSVC +so far). + + + + Installing libunicows +======================= + + Mingw32 +--------- + +Simply copy libunicows.a to the lib subdirectory of your Mingw32 installation +(e.g. c:\mingw32\lib). + + + Microsoft Visual C++ +---------------------- + +Copy unicows.lib to C:\Program Files\Visual Studio\VC98\Lib (assuming you +installed MSVC into C:\Program Files\Visual Studio and that you have version +6.0, the path may vary otherwise). + +Note: This was tested only with MSVC++ 6.0, but should work with other versions + as well. + + + Borland C++ +------------- + +Copy unicows.lib to %BORLAND%\lib where %BORLAND% is where you installed BC++ +(this directory should contain import32.lib). + + + Watcom C/C++ +------------- + +Copy unicows.lib to %WATCOM%\lib386\nt where %WATCOM% is where you installed +the compiler. + + + Usage +======= + +1) Add the unicows import library BEFORE other win32 libraries on your command +line. For example, if your command line for Mingw32 was + + c++ foo.o bar.o -o foo -lkernel32 -luser32 -lgdi32 -lcomdlg32 + +change it to + + c++ foo.o bar.o -o foo -lunicows -lkernel32 -luser32 -lgdi32 -lcomdlg32 + +No other change is neccessary, you don't have to include any special headers in +your source files. + + +2) Download Unicows runtime from + + http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=30039 + +or + + http://download.microsoft.com/download/platformsdk/Redist/1.0/W9XMe/EN-US/unicows.exe + +Extract unicows.dll from the package and distribute it with your application. +Do *not* install it to Windows system directory, always copy the DLL to your +application's directory! (Nobody wants any more of DLL hell...). + +If your application uses Common Controls DLL (very likely) or Rich Edit control, +make sure the installer installs new enough versions that fully support Unicode +(Common Controls DLL version 5.80 and RichEdit 4.0). + + + Compiling from sources +======================== + +1) Download the source package (libunicows-$version-src.tar.gz) + +2) [optional step] Run generate.py to create assembler stubs. You will need + Python (http://www.python.org) to run it. You don't have to do this unless + you modified symbols.txt or src\template.asm, because generated stubs are + already included in source package (in src\gen_asm). + +3) Change to 'src' subdirectory and compile the library. You will need + NASM (http://nasm.sourceforge.net). + + Mingw32: run make -f makefile.mingw32 + MSVC: run nmake -f makefile.vc6 + + If your compiler is not supported, you will have to create a makefile/project + file for it. You can gen inspiration from existing makefiles. If you do so, + please send the makefile (and if possible, compiled unicows.lib) to me, + so that I can include it in the next release of libunicows. Thanks! + + + Compiling and using unicows_wrapper.dll +========================================= + +If precompiled version of libunicows is not available for your compiler, you +can use unicows_wrapper.dll (at the cost of marginally slower calls and +the need to install unicows_wrapper.dll on NT/2k/XP boxes, too). Create +an import library for it in the same way you would do for any other DLL +and same the created import library as unicows.lib (or whatever name convention +your compiler uses, the point is to not name it unicows_wrapper.lib). For +example, this is how to do it with Borland C++ tools: + + implib unicows.lib unicows_wrapper.dll + +That is. Use the library as with other compilers, i.e. put unicows.lib as the +first one on your command line, so that the symbols are found in unicows.lib +and not in e.g. kernel32.lib. + +Unlike with the "native" import libraries, using unicows_wrapper.dll will make +your application depend on unicows_wrapper.dll even when installed on +Windows NT/2000/XP. Therefore, your installer must install following files +in addition to your application's binary and data: + +9x/ME: unicows.dll, unicows_wrapper.dll +NT/2k/XP: unicows_wrapper.dll + + + + Contacting the author +======================= + +I can be reached at this email address: vslavik@fastmail.fm +
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