Running linux g++ compiled code on Mac - c++

Question

Is is possible to compile c++ code on linux using g++ and run the code on Mac OSX? I have a few c++ programs that use one .cpp file, a few .h files, and a MakeFile altogether that produces a .o file that I typically run through the terminal. However, I'd like to find a way to send only the executable to my partner's home mac so he may review my program locally. (I've also use a few of these programs for automated math calculations, so it would be very convenient to run locally). I understand OSX typically uses .app bundles, but I'm not extremely familiar with how this works. Will the .o file (or ./a.out that's more common around here) simply run on OSX? I'd rather not install xCode on this machine if I don't have to.
Thanks a ton

Answer 1

It is possible to compile C++ on Linux and produce an executable on OS X. However you have to compile the code in a special way, called 'cross compilation'. It's not particularly simple to set up cross compilation and you need certain files from the platform you're targeting.
It's much simpler to just compile directly on the target platform.
If the Mac has a recent version of OS X installed you can easily install the necessary command line tools: Just try to run one of them or run the command xcode-select --install and OS X will ask to install the command line tools. (This will install just the necessary tools for compilation on the command line, and not the entire Xcode applicaiton.)
I understand OSX typically uses .app bundles, but I'm not extremely familiar with how this works.
You don't need to worry about .app bundles for simple C++ programs. OS X can run regular executable files just like linux. (Though the executable file format is different: OS X uses the Mach-O format instead of Linux's ELF format.)
Will the .o file (or ./a.out that's more common around here) simply run on OSX?
.o files, called 'object' files, don't run on their own anyway; They have to be 'linked' into an executable file. The default name for executable files created by the gcc toolchain is 'a.out' (as specified in the POSIX standard).
If you set up cross compilation to OS X then, yes, you could produce a.out files that would just run on OS X. The a.out files you produce normally for Linux , i.e. without cross compilation, won't run on OS X.
I'd rather not install xCode on this machine if I don't have to.
Xcode doesn't run on Linux anyway, so you couldn't run it. Instead you'd get a version of gcc that cross-compiles to OS X, or you'd install a different compiler, clang (and linker, lld instead of ld or gold).

Answer 2

A simple answer to your question is no. You cannot compile a program under linux and expect it to run on MacOSX.
However, MacOSX is just another UNIX OS under the hood and you can build your project with Make and GCC. If your partner doesn't know how to do this, I would suggest asking him to let you SSH into his machine.
However, if you're building executable on a mac you will want to install XCode. Even if you're using GCC from brew.
Another alternative is have your partner install a linux VM. He can use oracles virtual box to install linux and run your code w/in macosx.

Answer 3

I would suggest you sign up at Amazon for a free EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) account and take the free Basic Linux box. Install and build your software on Linux on there and then let your partner log into it and run it using just ssh which is already on OSX anyway. So no need to install anything on his Mac.
That way there is no need to transfer files between yourselves and update stuff when you make changes - just one environment to manage and keep up to date that you can both access from anywhere, any time.