>In order to use WinSXS however, all binaries must be signed with an Authenticode code-signing certificate, from a reputable CA (certifying authority).
This is automatically a major roadblock for many open source projects. On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 3:49 AM, Garrett Serack <[email protected]>wrote: > Since I’ve been jumping all around the map on answering questions, I wanted > to first jump into the heart of what CoApp really fixes, and we’ll work our > way out from there. > > > > Libraries (static or dynamic) are the heart and soul of pretty much all > software—and open source is no exception. If code didn’t depend on no other > code, then packages would be insanely trivial to engineer, we’d just zip up > the files and that would be it. > > > > However, since this isn’t the case, we need to understand what Libraries > mean to us, and what we need to ensure to make everything end up shiny. > > > > What CoApp will address: > > - There must be a common method to access a Shared Library, in a > logical consistent fashion > > - A particular version of a library (with a specific binary ABI) > must be upgradable to a new compatible version without having to adjust a > currently installed application > > - Multiple versions of a library (with potentially different > binary ABIs) must be able to be present at the same time > > - Multiple compilers must be supported--that is, multiple copies > of the same library, the same version and the same ABI, but reliance on a > different compiler (and CRT runtime) > > - Libraries must be installed and upgraded independently of an > application > > - An application must be able to override a system default > version of a library if necessary > > - Shared libraries should always be packaged with their relevant > import libraries (.lib) and header files (.h) files > > > > Luckily, Windows provides us a way to do most of that without much > difficulty—provided you have tools to automate that. > > > > WinSXS (Windows Side-by-side) technology allows us to install multiple > versions of libraries, each tagged with a version > (Major.Minor.Revision.Build) , and allows us to build ‘policy’ files that > direct programs to use the correct version. We use manifests with the > applications to tell it what version (Major.Minor) it requires, and the > policy files direct the EXE to the best match (most of the time, the most > recent version in a given Major.Minor set. > > > > Consistency of the Major.Minor versions indicates a binary ABI > compatibility. Changing the Major or Minor numbers in effect declares that > binary compatibility may not be guaranteed (however, policies can be written > to forward older versions if the author claims binary compatibility is still > present) > > > > In order to use WinSXS however, all binaries must be signed with an > Authenticode code-signing certificate, from a reputable CA (certifying > authority). > > > > This signing requirement actually turns out to be the key to supporting > multiple compilers at the same time—a publisher can use multiple > certificates, reserving an individual certificate’s use to a particular > compiler. (so CoApp as a publisher will have certificates for signing > packages for both VC9 and VC10 binaries) > > > > In order for the consuming application to specify what library it is > looking for, its manifest lists the certificate thumbprint, the name of the > library and the version. > > > > > > [image: Description: fearthecowboy] <http://fearthecowboy.com/> > > *Garrett* *Serack* | Microsoft's Open Source Software Developer | *Microsoft > Corporation > Office*:(425)706-7939 *email*/* > messenger*: [email protected] > *blog*: http://fearthecowboy.com * > twitter*: @fearthecowboy <http://twitter.com/fearthecowboy> > > *I don't make the software you use; I make the software you use better on > Windows.*** > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mailing list: > https://launchpad.net/~coapp-developers<https://launchpad.net/%7Ecoapp-developers> > Post to : [email protected] > Unsubscribe : > https://launchpad.net/~coapp-developers<https://launchpad.net/%7Ecoapp-developers> > More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp > >
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