(C++) Port

 

There are two meanings for 'port':

• 'porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed' [1]
• 'a port is an application-specific or process-specific software construct serving as a communications endpoint' [2]

 

 

 

 

 

Porting

 

To port your code from environment (operation system) A to B, there are multiple ways:

1. Cross-compiling
2. Compile the same code under the same IDE with same cross-platform libraries on a computer with environment B installed. Qt Creator is an example of a cross-platformIDE. The STL, Boost and Qt libraries are examples of cross-platform libraries
3. Compile the same code under the same IDE with same cross-platform libraries on a computer in an environment like A, but creating executables for B, like Cygwin: Cygwin is a UNIX-like environment for Windows, so Cygwin can be used to port UNIX code to Windows
4. Emulate the executable from environment A under B. For example, WINE can be used to run Windows executables under Linux

 

Items #2 and #3 are described below.

 

 

 

 

 

How to port your code from Qt Creator under Ubuntu to another operating system?

 

 

• From Qt Creator under Ubuntu to Qt Creator under Wine under Ubuntu
• From Qt Creator under Ubuntu to Qt Creator under Windows

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

1. Wikipedia page about porting
2. Wikipedia page about port (noun, internet protocol)