02-08-2001 04:11									#1
	Cross-Platform Compatibility Increase Your PM Length

Yes, I've read the FAQ, and no, I'm not satisfied with it
Really, I'd like to know if you are going to make your code portable. An open-source project will eventually be ported, but the question is, are you going to make it easy for the porters? It seems logical that you are now writing the "inner working" code which I think has the potential of being cross-platform... Are you trying to make it so?
Just so that there aren't any mistakes: I use Windows 99% of the time, so I'm no zealot. But I think that cross-platform compatibility is an important thing. Look at FreeCiv. Their primary OS is Linux, but there are ports to most modern OSes imaginable
Anyway, I have a habit of bursting into discussions in such an unruly fashion. I have about two dozen things to say about your design docs, and I'll start saying them quite soon
Good luck!

-Mark

PS. I hope it's allowed to newbies to open topics here btw

	02-08-2001 12:41									#2
	Remove this text

I am no programmer, but I think I speak for the team when I say that making things as easy for porters as possible would be a good thing. How you are gonna do that, however, I have no idea.

[q]
PS. I hope it's allowed to newbies to open topics here btw
[q]

Of cause it is. You are more than welcome to post your comments.

	08-09-2001 15:42									#3
	Support Apolyton

I agree we should keep all things open for posts to different OSes. But. We use DirectX right? And this is 100%windows, if I am not mistaken? So how can you make an (easy) port for, let's say, Linux then?

We should focus on Windows though, IF we have to make a choise.

	10-09-2001 19:28									#4
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

About DirectX and porting, that's simple; you will have to do a new graphics engine. Meaning, a system that draws stuff on screen, you won't need to re-make the UI or anything, that's taken care of. Also, sounds and possibly input would be things that the porters will have to re-make. But that would be the case also without DirectX, and making the Windows version would be harder. About porting in general, like I have said someplace else, we are separating the platform-dependent code from the rest. All the core components will be portable, and also the UI system. You would have to make only the multimedia controllers and OS message handling stuff for the port; quite minimal, I would think. And we are avoiding MS-specific stuff, save DirectX and thread handling, that cannot be handled without OS specific stuff.