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(gawk.info)New Ports

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Porting `gawk' to a New Operating System
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   If you want to port `gawk' to a new operating system, there are
several steps to follow:

  1. Follow the guidelines in Note: Adding New Features,
     concerning coding style, submission of diffs, and so on.

  2. When doing a port, bear in mind that your code must co-exist
     peacefully with the rest of `gawk' and the other ports. Avoid
     gratuitous changes to the system-independent parts of the code. If
     at all possible, avoid sprinkling `#ifdef's just for your port
     throughout the code.

     If the changes needed for a particular system affect too much of
     the code, I probably will not accept them.  In such a case, you
     can, of course, distribute your changes on your own, as long as
     you comply with the GPL (*note GNU General Public License:
     Copying.).

  3. A number of the files that come with `gawk' are maintained by other
     people at the Free Software Foundation.  Thus, you should not
     change them unless it is for a very good reason; i.e., changes are
     not out of the question, but changes to these files are
     scrutinized extra carefully.  The files are `getopt.h', `getopt.c',
     `getopt1.c', `regex.h', `regex.c', `dfa.h', `dfa.c', `install-sh',
     and `mkinstalldirs'.

  4. Be willing to continue to maintain the port.  Non-Unix operating
     systems are supported by volunteers who maintain the code needed
     to compile and run `gawk' on their systems. If noone volunteers to
     maintain a port, it becomes unsupported and it may be necessary to
     remove it from the distribution.

  5. Supply an appropriate `gawkmisc.???' file.  Each port has its own
     `gawkmisc.???' that implements certain operating system specific
     functions. This is cleaner than a plethora of `#ifdef's scattered
     throughout the code.  The `gawkmisc.c' in the main source
     directory includes the appropriate `gawkmisc.???' file from each
     subdirectory.  Be sure to update it as well.

     Each port's `gawkmisc.???' file has a suffix reminiscent of the
     machine or operating system for the port--for example,
     `pc/gawkmisc.pc' and `vms/gawkmisc.vms'. The use of separate
     suffixes, instead of plain `gawkmisc.c', makes it possible to move
     files from a port's subdirectory into the main subdirectory,
     without accidentally destroying the real `gawkmisc.c' file.
     (Currently, this is only an issue for the PC operating system
     ports.)

  6. Supply a `Makefile' as well as any other C source and header files
     that are necessary for your operating system.  All your code
     should be in a separate subdirectory, with a name that is the same
     as, or reminiscent of, either your operating system or the
     computer system.  If possible, try to structure things so that it
     is not necessary to move files out of the subdirectory into the
     main source directory.  If that is not possible, then be sure to
     avoid using names for your files that duplicate the names of files
     in the main source directory.

  7. Update the documentation.  Please write a section (or sections)
     for this Info file describing the installation and compilation
     steps needed to compile and/or install `gawk' for your system.

  8. Be prepared to sign the appropriate paperwork.  In order for the
     FSF to distribute your code, you must either place your code in
     the public domain and submit a signed statement to that effect, or
     assign the copyright in your code to the FSF.  Both of these
     actions are easy to do and _many_ people have done so already. If
     you have questions, please contact me, or <gnu@gnu.org>.

   Following these steps makes it much easier to integrate your changes
into `gawk' and have them co-exist happily with other operating
systems' code that is already there.

   In the code that you supply and maintain, feel free to use a coding
style and brace layout that suits your taste.