[Chicken-users] eliminate the Chicken Windows binary distribution?

[Brandon J. Van Every]

The installation path of the current Chicken Windows binary distribution 
is hardwired to C:\Program Files\Chicken .  This can't really be 
changed.  Chicken currently determines all installation paths at compile 
time, there is no runtime capability for this.  Ordinarily, people 
compile Chicken using CMake or Autoconf, and installation paths are 
determined then, so this is not usually a problem.  But it is a problem 
when putting up a binary distribution.

Neither Felix nor myself wants to bother with implementing a runtime 
capability right now.  I don't know when it will ever become a priority 
to Felix, as he's not a Windows guy.  It will probably never be a 
priority to me, as I'm quite backlogged on 3D and game development stuff 
as it is, with no free time for completely boring "marginal gain" 
capabilities.

To wit, I propose that we simply nuke the Windows binary distribution 
and make Windows users compile with CMake.  Lotsa effort has been put 
into making the CMake build painless, far more than the vast majority of 
open source projects, so I feel no guilt or immorality in such a 
proposal.  Installation behavior will then be correct, and improvable if 
anyone has difficulties.

Does anyone strongly object to nukeing the Windows binary distribution?  
This is your chance to speak up and say, "No!  No!  How dare you!  Your 
idea sucks!"  I'm happy to have such a data point, as it would indicate 
that the Windows binary distribution is actually used by someone.  If 
not, or if crickets chirp, then it's going bye-bye.


Cheers,
Brandon Van Every