[Boost-users] Boost with mingw creates .lib not .a

From: John Arbash Meinel (boost_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-01-16 12:09:04

I was wondering if there is a specific reason still that when using
mingw to build the boost libraries it defaults to using the .lib
extension? I was only able to find the following post:

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.devel/79594

Which is where David Abrahams states that file extensions are based on
platform and not based on toolset.

I've been using mingw lately, and at least current versions are able to
find a library with a .lib extension without any problem.

However, visual studio can not use that file as a library, and mingw
will look for a .a first.

What I'm thinking is that at least for the undecorated versions of the
libraries (boost_python.lib) it should use the common convention for the
compiler, that way you could have both in the same directory, and have
the compiler pick the right one.

I realize I can force this with a '-sSUFLIB=.a', I was just wondering if
there was a reason the extension is based on platform, and not on TOOLS.

John
=:->