[Mono-dev] OS X 64 bit stuff

[Miguel de Icaza]

Hello,

1. Is there a timeline for a 64 bit OS X framework release? A few months
> ago the answer was no.
>

There is a definite timeline, which is "before or at" Cycle 7, which
currently looks like an end-of-year release.   So that is the worst case
scenario.

We have internal builds that we have been using to test MonoDevelop/Xamarin
Studio with 64 bits, and we are hoping to preview those in the next couple
of weeks to the rest of the world.

There are really no hard technical complications with Mono on 64 bits,
purely the fact that we wanted to ship as much as possible of the runtime
as dual libraries (Mono, but also Cairo, Gtk+ and so on) and give users the
ability to force apps to run on 32 or 64 bit mode.

So all the libraries you can link against would be 32/64 lipo-ed binaries.

The "mono" command is special, so we were thinking of shipping both
binaries, a mono with 32 and a mono with 64.   This would allow you to
control how your application runs (mono32 will always run in 32 bits,
mono64 always in 64), with the "mono" command allowing a flag to switch
between 32 and 64, similar to our --gc flag.

The reason to keep 32 around is to not break existing users that might
depend on it, and because some libraries (System.Windows.Forms) are tied to
the 32-bit API.

So it is mostly lots of small logistic issues involved with shipping a
whole framework.

2. I think that Xamarin.mac supports 64 bits. Does this use a discrete 64
> library build as opposed to a standard OS X framework bundle?
>

Xamarin.Mac does use ship with 64 bit support, that is correct.   It uses
its own build of Mono.


> 3. The OS X mono framework is apparently built with
> https://github.com/mono/bockbuild. That repo his pretty opaque.
> https://github.com/mono/bockbuild/blob/master/bockbuild/darwinprofile.py
> looks like it might be able to handle a 64 bit build. Am I on the right
> track there?
>

You are on the right track.

Miguel
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