Question

Is it possible to Link *.lib files with MinGW (I use it with Eclipse)?

I’m fighting with libcurl+OpenSSL and I don’t understand if my errors are because I try to use .lib-files in MinGW or something else is wrong:

..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/asn_mime.obj):(.text[_SMIME_text]+0x6): undefined reference to `_chkstk'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/asn_mime.obj):(.text[_SMIME_text]+0xb): undefined reference to `__security_cookie'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/asn_mime.obj):(.text[_SMIME_text]+0x63): undefined reference to `@__security_check_cookie@4'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/asn_mime.obj):(.text[_SMIME_text]+0x19e): undefined reference to `@__security_check_cookie@4'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/ech_ossl.obj):(.text[_ecdh_compute_key]+0x6): undefined    reference to `_chkstk'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/bio_asn1.obj):(.text[_asn1_bio_set_ex]+0x6): undefined reference to `_chkstk'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/bio_asn1.obj):(.text[_asn1_bio_get_ex]+0x6): undefined reference to `_chkstk'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/bio_asn1.obj):(.text[_BIO_asn1_set_prefix]+0x6): undefined reference to `_chkstk'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/bio_asn1.obj):(.text[_BIO_asn1_get_prefix]+0x6): undefined reference to `_chkstk'
..\lib/libeay32.lib(tmp32/bio_asn1.obj):(.text[_BIO_asn1_set_suffix]+0x6): more undefined references to `_chkstk' follow
..\lib/ssleay32.lib(tmp32/ssl_lib.obj):(.text[_SSL_has_matching_session_id]+0xb): undefined reference to `__security_cookie'

Answer 1

Probably not. mingw’s static library format is *.a.

Dynamic libraries for a given platform are standardized by the OS loader that must be able to load them.

Static libraries only have to be understood by the toolchain’s linker, and are thus less cross compiler compatible. Afaik *.lib files are not even compatible across all MSVC versions.

Added later due to pestering comments:
Newer versions of mingw also support .lib files, but you asked your question back in ’11, and then you probably wouldn’t have them then.