I recently downloaded a project that utilizes CMake for building and installation. Following the instructions in the Readme, I used CMake to generate a 'release' folder. The install command uses files from this folder. My question is, if I simply copy the entire release folder to a different computer that lacks CMake, will the executable file still function properly, or is a CMake installation necessary? For context, this release folder contains just two files: one .exe and one .lib, while the install folder has an additional .exe file. Thanks in advance for any insights!
1 Answer
It really depends on the dependencies of your project. You might need to recompile with CMake on the new machine for everything to work smoothly. It's not guaranteed that the files will run without it.
So, does this mean the release build is only useful if the new computer has CMake installed? Why wouldn't they just provide an installation package instead?