zlib 1.2.2.1

win32/DLL_FAQ.txt

@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     zlib in other programming languages.  Some of them, like Ada
     (GNAT) and Fortran (GNU G77), have C bindings implemented
     initially on Unix, and relying on the C calling convention.
-    On the other hand, the pre- .Net versions of Microsoft Visual
+    On the other hand, the pre- .NET versions of Microsoft Visual
     Basic require STDCALL, while Borland Delphi prefers, although
     it does not require, FASTCALL.
 
@@ -203,10 +203,10 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     zlib distribution.
 
 
- 8. I need to use zlib in my Microsoft .Net project.  What can I
+ 8. I need to use zlib in my Microsoft .NET project.  What can I
     do?
 
-  - Henrik Ravn has contributed a .Net wrapper around zlib.  Look
+  - Henrik Ravn has contributed a .NET wrapper around zlib.  Look
     into contrib/dotzlib/, inside the zlib distribution.
 
 
@@ -225,8 +225,8 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     depend on it should also be linked to MSVCRT.DLL.
 
 
-10. Why are you saying that ZLIB1.DLL and my application must be
-    linked to the same C run-time (CRT) library?  I linked my
+10. Why are you saying that ZLIB1.DLL and my application should
+    be linked to the same C run-time (CRT) library?  I linked my
     application and my DLLs to different C libraries (e.g. my
     application to a static library, and my DLLs to MSVCRT.DLL),
     and everything works fine.
@@ -277,12 +277,6 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     even run on it.  Furthermore, no serious user should run
     Windows 95 without a proper update installed.
 
-    There is also the fact that the mainstream C compilers for
-    Windows are Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, and gcc/MinGW.  Both
-    are producing executables that link to MSVCRT.DLL by default,
-    without offering other dynamic CRTs as alternatives easy to
-    select by users.
-
 
 12. Why are you not linking ZLIB1.DLL to
     <<my favorite C run-time library>> ?
@@ -295,27 +289,60 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
       to a static C library, you may as well consider linking zlib
       in statically, too.
 
-    * Linking ZLIB1.DLL to CRTDLL.DLL looks very appealing,
-      because CRTDLL.DLL is present on every Win32 installation.
-      Unfortunately, it has a series of problems: it raises
-      difficulties when using it with C++ code, it does not work
-      with 64-bit file offsets, (and so on...), and Microsoft
-      discontinued its support a long time ago.
+    * Linking ZLIB1.DLL to CRTDLL.DLL looks appealing, because
+      CRTDLL.DLL is present on every Win32 installation.
+      Unfortunately, it has a series of problems: it does not
+      work properly with Microsoft's C++ libraries, it does not
+      provide support for 64-bit file offsets, (and so on...),
+      and Microsoft discontinued its support a long time ago.
 
-    * Linking ZLIB1.DLL to MSVCR70.DLL, supplied with the
-      Microsoft .NET platform and Visual C++ 7.0 or newer, is not
-      a good option.  Although it is available for free download
-      and distribution, its presence is scarce on today's Win32
-      installations.  If it will ever become more popular than
-      MSVCRT.DLL and will be pre-installed on the future Win32
-      systems, we will probably think again about it.
+    * Linking ZLIB1.DLL to MSVCR70.DLL or MSVCR71.DLL, supplied
+      with the Microsoft .NET platform, and Visual C++ 7.0/7.1,
+      raises problems related to the status of ZLIB1.DLL as a
+      system component.  According to the Microsoft Knowledge Base
+      article KB326922 "INFO: Redistribution of the Shared C
+      Runtime Component in Visual C++ .NET", MSVCR70.DLL and
+      MSVCR71.DLL are not supposed to function as system DLLs,
+      because they may clash with MSVCRT.DLL.  Instead, the
+      application's installer is supposed to put these DLLs
+      (if needed) in the application's private directory.
+      If ZLIB1.DLL depends on a non-system runtime, it cannot
+      function as a redistributable system component.
 
-    * Linking ZLIB1.DLL to NTDLL.DLL is not possible.
-      NTDLL.DLL exports only a part of the C library, and only on
-      Windows NT systems.
+    * Linking ZLIB1.DLL to non-Microsoft runtimes, such as
+      Borland's, or Cygwin's, raises problems related to the
+      reliable presence of these runtimes on Win32 systems.
+      It's easier to let the DLL build of zlib up to the people
+      who distribute these runtimes, and who may proceed as
+      explained in the answer to Question 14.
 
 
-13. I need to link my own DLL build to a CRT different than
+13. If ZLIB1.DLL cannot be linked to MSVCR70.DLL or MSVCR71.DLL,
+    how can I build/use ZLIB1.DLL in Microsoft Visual C++ 7.0
+    (Visual Studio .NET) or newer?
+
+  - Due to the problems explained in the Microsoft Knowledge Base
+    article KB326922 (see the previous answer), the C runtime that
+    comes with the VC7 environment is no longer considered a
+    system component.  That is, it should not be assumed that this
+    runtime exists, or may be installed in a system directory.
+    Since ZLIB1.DLL is supposed to be a system component, it may
+    not depend on a non-system component.
+
+    In order to link ZLIB1.DLL and your application to MSVCRT.DLL
+    in VC7, you need the library of Visual C++ 6.0 or older.  If
+    you don't have this library at hand, it's probably best not to
+    use ZLIB1.DLL.
+
+    We are hoping that, in the future, Microsoft will provide a
+    way to build applications linked to a proper system runtime,
+    from the Visual C++ environment.  Until then, you have a
+    couple of alternatives, such as linking zlib in statically.
+    If your application requires dynamic linking, you may proceed
+    as explained in the answer to Question 14.
+
+
+14. I need to link my own DLL build to a CRT different than
     MSVCRT.DLL.  What can I do?
 
   - Feel free to rebuild the DLL from the zlib sources, and link
@@ -331,7 +358,7 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     CYGWIN1.DLL, and it is distributed under the name CYGZ.DLL.
 
 
-14. May I include additional pieces of code that I find useful,
+15. May I include additional pieces of code that I find useful,
     link them in ZLIB1.DLL, and export them?
 
   - No.  A legitimate build of ZLIB1.DLL must not include code
@@ -344,7 +371,7 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     is a redistributable file, named VCLxx.DLL.
 
 
-15. May I remove some functionality out of ZLIB1.DLL, by enabling
+16. May I remove some functionality out of ZLIB1.DLL, by enabling
     macros like NO_GZCOMPRESS or NO_GZIP at compile time?
 
   - No.  A legitimate build of ZLIB1.DLL must provide the complete
@@ -353,7 +380,7 @@ in the zlib distribution, or at the following location:
     different file name, as suggested in the previous answer.
 
 
-16. I made my own ZLIB1.DLL build.  Can I test it for compliance?
+17. I made my own ZLIB1.DLL build.  Can I test it for compliance?
 
   - We prefer that you download the official DLL from the zlib
     web site.  If you need something peculiar from this DLL, you