Compile Joggler Kernel on Windows - can it be done ?

[Juggler]

I've had a quick look around for info on this and didn't find anything...

I'd like to have a go at compiling the Joggler Kernel on a Win XP box using MinGW.

Would it just be as straight forward as getting MinGW (I think there is a portable version) and the kernel source, install MinGW, then compile & link ?

If anyone could give pointers or advice, that would be great...

PS For a portable environment, I looked at these :

MinGW Portable Development Test 6b (formerly MSYS Portable)
http://portableapps.com/node/18601

MSYS Portable 1.10.11 Development Test 1
http://portableapps.com/node/30163

Code::Blocks Portable 10.05 Development Test 1
http://portableapps.com/node/18671

But I have a feeling that this just may introduce more complexities, and I don't think MinGW is that intrusive into Windows ?

[BuZz]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to install some flavour of linux under virtualbox ?

I would think an environment like cygwin would be more suited for cross compiling, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle anyway.

[Juggler]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to install some flavour of linux under virtualbox ?

I would think an environment like cygwin would be more suited for cross compiling, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle anyway.

Thanks for the reply BuZz...

I agree with you - it would be best to avoid unnecessary complexity, its just that, sadly, Linux is not my forte - but I hope to change that - so if I come across nasty problems in Windows, I usually have an idea what it is and can resolve them.

Is setting up GCC under Linux and compiling the Kernel you have made pretty straight forward ? (Apologies for asking if there are details in the WiKi)

I do intend to set-up a Linux running natively on my main box, and after seeing your XUbuntu, think I would install that. Apart from that, the only good Linux box I have is the Joggler itself.

Quite some time ago, I installed MinGW on Windows and compiled some Ada and FORTRAN programs and that all seemed to go ok.

Actually, one other thing I was considering was to use a live Linux. I use YUMI :

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multi ... b-creator/

for PartEdMagic, which I use a lot. With this it is possible to have a Linux that creates a file on the host PCs hard drive for persistence.

[Wilberforce]

Yep, the package managers make setting up a build environment a real doddle. Plenty of good guides around the net.

[BuZz]

I think to build a linux kernel, its a good step to do it with linux - so you can undertand stuff better. as wilberforce said, lots of docs about it, with howtos. should be easy. under debian there are meta packages that can pull in all the stuff you need like "kernel-package" afair etc. and so on.

[Juggler]

I've given up on having a Live Linux from USB, because I've broken all the 'buntus I've tried (Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu), primarily from updating them with all the past circa 190 days patches. I'm now trying a USB hard drive install from a live USB. Seems I will have to remove the hard drive from my PC, as it picks the main hard drive up, rather than the USB hard drive I have attached at the same time, as the drive to install to.

Will keep going as if I get this working and get to like a distro enough, I will make the PC into a dual boot.

I haven't looked through the GCC packages, but what packages are necessary and are there any other tools etc that you'd recommend for a Kernel build environment on Linux ?

(Thanks to old UNIX days, I'm not too fussed about IDEs, and I'm happy to work in vi - so long as man is installed for all the commands...). Then again, I've seen some good things written about code:blocks.

[Wilberforce]

if you are using ubuntu, check https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Kernel/Compile to get the build deps, then just get the kernel source from kernel.org.