Marc Mongenet wrote:
Hello,
I compiled httpd-2.2.6-win32-src-r2.zip with Visual C++ 2005 Express
following the instructions given by
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/platform/win_compiling.html.
On IRC, niq suggested me to post comments/suggestions for improvement
of http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/platform/win_compiling.html
on the dev list.
Note that I am not very familiar with VC++.
I propose to separate the "requirements" (disk space, Visual C++
minimal version, Platform SDK version, awk) from "compilation
instructions" (running VCVARS32, setenv.bat, perl srclib\apr\build\cvtdsp.pl
-2005, ...) For instance, it is not very clear (for me) if
"c:\Program Files\Platform SDK\setenv.bat" must be run only one
time (installation), or after each reboot (compilation instruction).
Ok; I'm confused; the entire information on that page relates to *build*,
because the page is called win_compiling. None of this is runtime, or
it would be on the main windows.html platform page.
I also suggest to seperate the instructions for command line compilation
from the instructions for the GUI. Because in the current document, it is
not always 100% clear if a sentence applies to command line compilation
or GUI compilation.
This makes some sense - we can call out the differences in one of several
ways, but you raise a good point that they aren't always distinguished
as well as they need to be.
The "Warning about building Apache from the development tree"
(or at least a link to the warning) could be placed somewhere near
the top of the document.
We don't expect people to grab the development tree as often as they
would build the package, so that's additional confusion, but worth at
least a reference at the top of the page.
The paragraph starting with "Exported .mak files pose a greater
hassle" is a bit difficult to understand.
Well, they don't so the document obviously needs some care and attention.
The GUI is far more of a hassle.
Minor details:
I do not have
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\Bin\VCVARS32"
but I have
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\bin\vcvars32.bat"
I do not have
"c:\Program Files\Platform SDK\setenv.bat"
but I have
"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Platform SDK\SetEnv.Cmd"
(not sure it performs the same actions)
We can make that an 'e.g. ... ' or perhaps use the goofy envvars that
MS sets to point to it's packages (which break, of course, on regular
occasion with each subsequent compiler release).
The GUI did not convert .dsp files to ".msproj" files but to
".vcproj" files.
I'll fix upon the remaining changes for 2.2.7, it looks like some
messy hands (including mine) got in there.
Thanks for the suggestions to help other developers struggle through.
Bill
