build arm64 even on rosetta ... improve #149

[heinthanth]

On M1 macs, since we don't have arm binaries for choosenim, we can use x86 choosenim to download and invoke compiler. By default choosenim under rosetta build x86 nim. But passing arch -arm64 will build arm64 nim binary. This add improvement to #149.

[heinthanth]

Hum ... quite interesting ... need to figure out ... ( It's like proxyexe causing it ... proxyexe need to be compiled as arm )

[heinthanth]

Yes ... I compiled choosenim with ARM nim ( installed manually from source ) and this work!

[heinthanth]

the problem here is embedded proxyexe is x86 binary. That's why binaries in ~/.nimble/bin are x86 although actually compiled toolchain in ~/.choosenim/toolchains/version/bin/ are arm64. So, we need to fetch cliparams.nim, common.nim, proxyexe.nim and re-compile proxyexe with recently built arm nim binary ( if first installed ).

So, instead, I'm try to cross-compile choosenim from intel to M1. Cross-compilation work. But analytics is not working.

[heinthanth]

Analytics not working on M1. Seems like segment fault from objc_msgSend. So, now, have to

I've submitted an issue to puppy here https://github.com/treeform/puppy/issues/59.

[heinthanth]

Force pushed ... since I think I messed up. Everything is working file on both intel and m1 mac. I'll wait for Puppy https://github.com/treeform/puppy/pull/61 to be merged.

[heinthanth]

For now, I will close this PR. Since I'm not OK with travis ( ran out of credit - accidentally enable Consume paid credits for OSS ), I'll continue and reopen soon! Thanks @dom96 for your encouragement. Btw, can you fix travis first? it's seems broken.

This is a cool approach, thank you!

[dom96]

the problem here is embedded proxyexe is x86 binary. That's why binaries in ~/.nimble/bin are x86 although actually compiled toolchain in ~/.choosenim/toolchains/version/bin/ are arm64.

Why is this a problem btw? all that matters is that the Nim binaries are arm64, no?

[heinthanth]

No ... proxyexe is x86 and if we run nim c something.nim, something also become x86.

[dom96]

proxyexe just executes the arm64 Nim though, or am I missing something? why would proxyexe being arm64 matter in what nim c ... produces?

[heinthanth]

I've demo here:

I create a simple proxy which invoke my arm64 nim binary.

Here, I have two nim binaries. I compiled proxy.nim with x86 nim.

So, proxy binary become x86.

Then, I tried to compile test.nim with proxy binary ( which, in turn, invoke arm64 nim binary ). But test binary become x86.

I think, test.nim also become x86 since the parent process which invoke C compile is x86. Don't know much about nim internal stuffs ( how nim invoke c compiler ).

But when I compile test.nim with my nim arm64 binary, it become ARM.

I think choosenim has two options:

• use another symlink method instead of proxy binary.
• cross-compile choosenim to ARM64 on x86_64 macOS.

If we want, we can discord too. We're friends on discord.