To: OpenDoc Development Framework Discussion List, ODF-Interest@CILabs.
Dear ODF team,
I thought I'd pass on my experience with downloading ODF 1 from the http://www.devtools.apple.com/odf/ server.
In summary, its taken me the best part of the day to get things working. Consequently, due to that, and to some other things that I'm about to mention, I'm feeling a little frustrated. Having said that, there are lots of things I like about ODF 1, and do I feel the need to emphasise this!
Issues:
1. Despite what the ODF web page told me, I found myself having to download the following archives as a minimum:
- CWPPC.sit
- Documentation.sit
- Getting Started.sit
- ODFGeneral.sit
- ODFLibrary1.0.sit
- PartMaker.sit
- SLPPC.sit
The documentation archive was important 'cause I wondered if there were things in there that would tell me why a few other config. style things were needed e.g. missing libraries and pre-compiled headers (more of that later).
The SLPPC.sit is needed not only for symbolic debugging (as the page suggested), but also so that I could build ODF parts! My CW project was always attempting to source the SL folders.
2. After a lot of time, I determined that I didn't have some static libraries e.g. ODFOS.lib. Additionally, I didn't have the ODFHeaders.MW pre-compiled header.
Thus, I had to rebuild the entire framework and its dependencies (very time consuming).
3. ODF now requires more memory for building things. I've only got a 24MB machine (which I used to think of as a lot!). ODF seems to require a minimum of around the 32MB figure.
Consequently, I had to turn on virtual memory (I allocated a 48MB swap file). Consequently, things have slowed down.
4. Perhaps 'cause of virtual memory, perhaps 'cause of the increase in ODF 1 functionality, my compiles "seem" to take a lot longer. For example, making a small change to a part takes ages for things to compile. What's going on? Is it 'cause of virtual memory?
5. ODF Parts seem to be at least twice as big as their raw OpenDoc/C++ counterparts e.g. ODF Nothing comes in at 340K whilst SamplePart comes in at 145K. I presume and hope that the release that moves the ODF Framework layer into a shared lib will bring things back down to the 145K mark (I can understand it being, say, 20% bigger).
6. I had difficulty unstuffing the documentation archive with respect to the Developer's Guide (lost data fork). Now, this could be my transfer, but I suspect that its own your side of the fence. Anyhow, you might want to investigate it 'cause I don't feel like spending even more time downloading it again!
7. Finally, there's a lot to figure out when installing ODF. I welcome the advent of the Installer script for build environments; if only I could have been able to use it for the downloaded version. It was a real struggle getting ODF 1 to work despite my familiarity with CW, ODF d11 etc.
I guess the thing that I'm most upset about though is the slower compile times.
