Re: windows .dll files and linux

"Lew Pitcher" <lpitcher@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

On Mar 22, 12:53 pm, "juicym...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
<juicym...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I'm currently using a program on windows which is really irritating
me. It consistes of an .exe file and several .dll files which
apparently do 'all the work'. I wanted to take the .dll files and,
using them, code up a version of this app for linux.

What exacly do you mean by 'using .DLL files, code up a version
for Linux'?

Do you mean to use .DLLs on Linux (unmodified), or do you mean to
re-implement the whole app?

The problem is
that I'm not sure of the ins and outs of the .dll files. Is there a
way to figure out the inputs and params of the functions in the .dll
files?

Sure: it's called reverse engineering.

Obviously you don't need to do that IF you are going to re-implement
the functionality. If you want to "transplant" .DLLs to Linux,
you need to become *very* proficient with "how DLLs work".

Begin by studying "dumpbin /EXPORTS foo.dll", "dumpbin /IMPORTS app.exe",
then stepping through the application in a debugger (at the assembly
level).

Unfortunately, your best bet is to ask that question in a Microsoft
Windows newsgroup (one of the comp.os.ms-windows.* groups). The answer
will take a knowledge of the internals of Microsoft DLL creation,
which you are unlikely to find here.

Some of us are unfortunate enough to possess such knowledge, and
concentration of such knowledge here may be even higher than in
*ms-windows* groups.


One caveat, though. It is not a trivial task to call a Windows DLL
entrypoint from a Linux program. In fact, as Linux uses a different
format for shared object modules, and different facilities to load
them, you are going to have a bl**dy hard time accessing DLL
entrypoints from your Linux programs.

Or even loading them into the process in the first place.

Luck be with you

Also, be aware that it may actually be faster to rewrite the app from
scratch.

Cheers,
--
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