From: Dave Burt <dave@...>
Date: 2005-12-15T15:45:55+09:00
Subject: Re: Iconv library - differences between Ruby 1.8.2 and 1.8.4?

Nobu wrote:
> Anyhow, it is impossible to iconv.so using msvcr71.dll to
> access errno in msvcrt.dll.
> ...
> * added Iconv::BrokenLibrary, which is raised if error occured
>  but errno was not set by iconv library.

It seems to me that that solution could be used to potentially turn this 
particular segfault condition into a handlable Exception in any library that 
uses Errno. Of course, as you pointed out, building it all together avoids all 
of this.

>> That all makes sense. However there's still a short-term need for the iconv 
>> pack
>> for One-Click users, until Curt builds iconv into his next release, 1.8.4,
>> hopefully this month.
>
> It would just get terminated on failures.  BTW, where is the
> iconv pack?

It's a pretty dodgy package (I need to learn one of the formal packaging 
systems, setup.rb or gem) but it's here: 
http://www.dave.burt.id.au/ruby/iconv.zip

It replaces the previous instructions on 
http://wiki.rubyonrails.com/rails/pages/iconv which involve collection the 
various files from various places on the web - it's just a collection of those 
and a script to put them in the right places on the system. A working assumption 
is that Windows users don't have a C compiler.

Curt Hibbs intends to obsolete it with the next One-Click Installer release.

Cheers,
Dave