Is it possible to run program on different operating systems with only one compile?

Question

I don't know if this question was answered before, but I couldn't find any relative one.

My question is simple.

Given a simple C program that outputs which operating system we are in, is it possible to detect it on the fly and not recompile it?

We can use macros like _WIN32, _WIN64, linux, etc, but we have to compile the code every time on each system. Can we do it with only one compilation?

Example of a simple program:

#include <stdio.h>

#ifdef _WIN32
#define OS "WINDOWS"
#endif

#ifdef linux
#define OS "LINUX"
#endif

int main(void) {
    printf("%s\n", OS);
    return 0;
}

For instance we compile the above code with gcc in linux environment. Expected outputs will be OS dependent.

Linux : LINUX

Windows : WINDOWS

Note:

We don't want and don't use Gygwin.
We don't use wine.

Then no luck, and I afraid you will get a lot of -1 for "generalized wrapper" — Slava, Jan 11 '17 at 14:18
How would you imagine it to work if the executable file format is different on different OS? — SingerOfTheFall, Jan 11 '17 at 14:18
No, you can't run the very same binary on different platforms. — cwschmidt, Jan 11 '17 at 14:18
@Slava I just wanted to be sure. If the community don't accept this question then I'll respect it. — , Jan 11 '17 at 14:19
@A.S.H - Reeducation camps are being constructed as we speak. — StoryTeller - Unslander Monica, Jan 11 '17 at 14:20
Question is ok, your statement of wrapper is not. It is the same as a say that C is a generalized wrapper of assembler. And all compiled languages are. — Slava, Jan 11 '17 at 14:21

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:18

3

C binary executables are platform dependent. So it is a no.

answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:18

Tony Tannous

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score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:23

C and C++ get compiled in to native binaries. This, by definition, means they won't run on multiple platforms. Different platforms have a different format for their executables, and have a different ABI.

You can, however, set up your build system to cross-compile to multiple platforms when you build (which means that your toolchain will generate all of the different executables).

If what you're trying to do is to figure out which version of an OS you're on at runtime, maybe your OS has an API for that.

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:34

1

It is not possible in a direct manner, as there are different executable formats on both platforms. Windows uses PE format, which is not compatible with Linux's ELF.

See also: Has anyone been able to create a hybrid of PE COFF and ELF?

As already pointed out, you would need some compatibility layer such as Wine or Cygwin.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:34

Community

1
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answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:43

Grzegorz Szpetkowski

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score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:20

0

I guess no, because there should be data for the OSes loader, so it will know how to create data structures in RAM, and as different OSes manage the memory differently the answer should be negative.

The trick you show, probably is suitable for simple programs, that do not use libraries like dotnet. You can make thing complicated and use conditional compilation tricks, I am not sure that is a good idea tough.

answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:20

Edik Mkoyan

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If you'd like please provide an example. I refer to simple programs. – Jan 11 '17 at 14:21
I mean something like cout a character, because I guess the std internals may have implemented something like this. Anyways don't focus on my answers, treat it as addition to others. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ew2hz0yd.aspx – Edik Mkoyan Jan 11 '17 at 14:25

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Jan 11 '17 at 14:29

In the general case, no, it's not possible.

But on POSIX systems, you can use uname(2).

Another option is to use macros for the specific Operating Systems you are interested in.

The following provides the list of macros that can be used to identify specific OS: https://sourceforge.net/p/predef/wiki/OperatingSystems/

While this list is exhaustive, it may not cover every existing Operating Systems that's out there. But it covers pretty much covers all the majors ones.

Is it possible to run program on different operating systems with only one compile?

Note:

5 Answers5