getting-started-windows.txt

Getting started.

Since Modula-3 is written in Modula-3, you must start
with a binary distribution or cross-compile from a working setup.

In future we might have a generated C-based distribution.

Here is an example of using a binary distribution for Windows.

Install Python to e.g. c:\python27.
 The Modula-3 build system is a little incomplete and
 we use Python (or bash or cmd) to stitch it together.

Install some version of Visual C++. Many versions are tested.

On your start menu, find the shortcut that runs a command line window
with a working C++ compiler/linker in %PATH, and run it.

This could be called, for example "Developer Command Prompt for VS 2019".

Put Python on path:
 path=c:\python27;%PATH%

If you are using Cygwin delete it's link.exe or make sure it is relatively late in %PATH%.

Download and extract a release, for example:
 http://www.opencm3.net/releng/cm3-bin-min-NT386-5.8.6-REL.tgz
 
This will give you a few files, including system.tgz.

Delete the other files.
In this example, we will not use its installer or config files.

Extract system.tgz.

Place its content somewhere you prefer.
For me this, this yields c:\cm3\bin\cm3.exe.

Add this to path:
 path=c:\cm3\bin;$PATH%

git clone current cm3
s is for source
  mkdir \s
  cd \s
  git clone https://github.com/modula3/cm3

The Python scripts can find some installs of Visual C++ without doing this, but only older ones.

Go to the scripts\python directory and do a full "upgrade".
This will rebuild the compiler with the old compiler, and then the entire
system with this rebuilt compiler.

The result is carefully copied (in a certain order, while running) in-place to the cm3.exe that is found in PATH.

If you want to preserve a working system, you can either backup:

  xcopy /fiverdy \cm3 \cm3.bak

or start fresh:
  xcopy /fiverdy c:\cm3 c:\cm3.new
  PATH=c:\cm3.new\bin;%PATH%


  cd scripts\python
  python upgrade.py && python do-cm3-all.py realclean skipgcc && python do-cm3-all.py buildship