programmatic access to windows dlls on linux (FFI?)

[jtprince]

We have a particularly important file that is in a binary, proprietary
format (annoying, yes). But, the company releases a small, standalone
library with dlls for accessing the file format.

The dlls are all in one folder and interface the binary file through a
COM interface. The functions are well documented.

Is there any way to build an FFI interface (or in some other way)
access the dll's to then read these files,
**but from within linux**? I know I can use wine, but I'd like to not
have to use wine, if at all possible. Is it possible?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Luis Lavena]

We have a particularly important file that is in a binary, proprietary
format (annoying, yes).  But, the company releases a small, standalone
library with dlls for accessing the file format.

The dlls are all in one folder and interface the binary file through a
COM interface.  The functions are well documented.

Is there any way to build an FFI interface (or in some other way)
access the dll's to then read these files,
**but from within linux**?  I know I can use wine, but I'd like to not
have to use wine, if at all possible.  Is it possible?

Well, no.

The ActiveX (COM) Library depends on Windows libraries, so you need a
Windows system or an emulation layer.

The portable COM architecture from Mozilla (XPCOM) will not help you
on that since the binary is still PE and not ELF and links and uses
libraries your Linux system doesn't know.