Transparent cross-platform source code compatibility through the use of translation libraries

This study looks at the issue of cross-platform source code compatibility and how it can be achieved using a “translation library”, a set of source code files which implement calls for one computer platform on another through wrapper functions. This thesis was developed out of the need to port the link Discovery Tool, written for the West Florida Counterdrug Investigative Network, from Unix X Windows to Microsoft Windows. Many native X Windows and Unix calls were simulated with wrapper functions which provided similar functionality through native Windows calls. The results were extremely promising, allowing the original Link Discovery Tool source code to compile and link through this translation library successfully on Windows NT and Windows 95 systems while still providing very good performance. Through this method only one set of source code files need be maintained and the time and expense of a traditional port is avoided.