[gentoo-embedded] cross-compiling for Windows

[Marc Joliet]

Hi all

I have the following scenario: I have a hobby project (msndfile.sf.net), which
is a MATLAB MEX file.  To create Windows binaries I currently have a Windows
VM, which used to be a requirement in order to test compiling the project with
the Visual Compiler, but I semi-recently ported the project to C99 (because why
not, its my project), so I compile it with MingW now.

Therefore I've become interested in ditching my Windows VM (which has become
somewhat painful to maintain) in favour of cross-compiling for Windows and
running MATLAB under Wine (assuming it works, which I'll have to find out
myself).

The only real questions I have is if the MinGW page on the Gentoo Wiki [0] is in
conflict with the following recommendation from the cross-compiler handbook
[1]:

    "However, there are some scenarios, albeit fewer as time goes on, which
    causes portage to require or to inflict changes to real root. To keep your
    Gentoo installation clean, we highly recommend that crossdev installation
    and all cross-compiling activities occur inside a Gentoo stage3 chroot.
    (This is the same chroot you used to install Gentoo.)"

Keep in mind that I don't want to cross-emerge (the libraries I use exist as
Windows binaries), I just want to use the cross-compiler in my own build
system(s). Does the recommendation still hold then?

As a final note, I originally thought winegcc would be a suitable alternative
to MinGW, but it seems that it's only intended for compiling Windows
applications for direct use with Wine. Is this correct, or can it also act as a
drop-in replacement for MinGW?

[0] http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Mingw
[1] http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/base/embedded/handbook/index.xml?part=1&chap=2

Greetings,
-- 
Marc Joliet
--
"People who think they know everything really annoy those of us who know we
don't" - Bjarne Stroustrup