Re: [Libreoffice] Mac OS 10.4 Support

Hi Norbert, *,

On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 4:53 PM, Norbert Thiebaud <nthiebaud@gmail.com> wrote:
> [...]
> The benefit is that a new developer can still build the product, even
> if he has _only_ a brand new lion.

Having lion doesn't force you to install the latest version of XCode,
or does it?

> As you mentioned earlier, You worked hard so that the Mac build, build
> out-of-the box, without 'external dep'.
> Having to hunt for a 10.4 SDK, and having to do some ln magic and
> other trick to beat your box into submission is not going in that
> direction.

"Hunt for a SDK" is not difficult. Login to https://connect.apple.com
and download XCode 3.2.6 - not a big deal, is it?

> Regarding different code path:
>
> Yes, I think that it is eventually inevitable. I understand you
> wanting to keep the product build-able on 10.4, but why does we have
> to live with the lowest common denominator and not use a 'minimum
> version' build flag. (I did hear the argument that if we do that, then
> some mac dev can introduce, unknowingly, 10.4 incompatibility without
> the proper flag isolation... but that is the very situation that tml_
> and Fridrich are on Windows.... I don't think that devs will
> intentionally try to break  it, but then if you care _about_ a
> particular os version, you also need to care _for_ it.

Well, my stance is the other way round. If you cannot break it by
accident, the person who likes to use fancy new OS features is aware,
and has to add corresponding runtime checks.

> iow, yes, having #ifdef to allow for different minimum OS X version
> will cause some pain and some breakage, most likely on the least
> used/supported version... but supporting 10.4 is causing some pain and
> breakage to the rest, and particularly to  new volunteer. and it is
> going to get worse as 10.4 SDK will soon vanish altogether as Joe
> mentioned.

Again: I don't see the pain yet. The only argument is that latest
XCode doesn't come with 10.4uSDK and thus you have to download an
older version, and if you want to use latest fetures of XCode as well
for other product you have to install both / manually move files
around.

> The other effect is requiring gcc-4.0, which in turn bring its load of
> pain and inefficiencies.

Like for example?
Mac OSX was the first platform to be WaE free, despite some
over-pickyness of the compiler. What pain did gcc 4.0 bring?

> I suggest that we start allowing a --target-sdk= at build time for mac

If it still defaults to 10.4 - fine with me.

Breaking compatibility must be done explicitly by the person who
compiles, not "by accident/unknowingly"

ciao
Christian