From: Charlie Savage <cfis@...>
Date: 2007-10-01T12:19:36+09:00
Subject: Re: Will 1.8.6 remain compiled with VC6?

This is a cryptographically signed message in MIME format.

--------------ms090009010806070507080406
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


> A recompile of ANY library that an extension depends on, because of
> rampant Microsoft incompatibilities. The problem is that any time you
> have more than one application using more than one C run-time (e.g.,
> MSVCRT.DLL and MSCRT80.DLL), you have different memory allocation
> tables, different file handle tables, etc. Microsoft simply DOES NOT
> CARE about this and won't provide any workarounds to make this clean
> and easy.

So I've modified my thinking on this.  Everything you say above is true 
    - but maybe its not an issue after all.  As long as you make sure 
that each dll that allocates memory, file handles, etc. also frees them 
then you are ok.  (more info see 
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235460(VS.80).aspx).

So - are resources ever allocated by one ruby dll (ie, extension) and 
freed by another ruby dll? Hopefully not.  If you're careful, then 
things seem to work fine.

An example is ruby-prof, which works fine against Ruby 1.8.4 when built 
with VC2005.  A counter example is the libxml bindings which use 
ALLOCATE (so ruby.exe) to get memory but use free (so the dll) to 
deallocate it.  But that is a bug - the libxml bindings should use xfree 
instead (so ruby.exe).

Finding those sorts of bugs is easy - a debug build using VC2005 will 
seg fault with an appropriate error message when it happens.

> 
> It is not in the One-Click Installer's mandate to recompile OpenSSL
> using VC8 instead of VC6. Or zlib. Or pdcurses. Or ...

Sure - and as long as Ruby doesn't free any object allocated by those 
dlls it should all work fine.  Thus I see no reason you can't mix and 
match dlls from VC6, VC2003, VC2005 and mingw/msys.  Just don't mix your 
allocations/deallocations.

Note a big downside of VC2003/VC2005 is having to distribute the various 
required Microsoft CRT dlls - that is a royal PITA.  And that is why 
MingW/msys/VC++6 are so convenient - they use older versions of the CRT 
that are on all Windows machines.


Charlie

--------------ms090009010806070507080406
Content-Type: application/x-pkcs7-signature; name="smime.p7s"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="smime.p7s"
Content-Description: S/MIME Cryptographic Signature
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--------------ms090009010806070507080406--