From: Jacob Quinn Shenker <jqshenker@...>
Date: 2005-10-28T11:02:57+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby Quiz for building up Ruby?

This might be a really fun way to improve Ruby! Good idea. However, Ithink it should compliment the original RubyQuiz, not replace it...RubyQuizzes in the past have been fun quickies, and this is adifferent, more practical and involved beast...
Jacob
On 10/27/05, Hugh Sasse <hgs@dmu.ac.uk> wrote:> I put this suggestion to James Edward Gray II as a means to an> end.  I was thinking that if the quiz inspires people to tackle> manageable problems, then it might be that we can use it to help us> improve Ruby itself.  We may get components for packages built up> for the cases where people find them sufficiently interesting to> write.>> So, would anyone object to this strategy?>> Is the problem expressed below sufficiently challenging to be of> interest to those who know they could tackle it?  Does it make a> good quiz?  James said I should ask, so I am.>> <quote>> Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:11:12 +0100 (WEST)> From: Hugh Sasse <>> To: James Edward Gray II <>> Cc: Hugh Sasse <>> Subject: Another Ruby Quiz suggestion: generic diff/patch>> I don't know if this is too big for the Ruby quiz.  I'm not sure how> to tackle it (though my maximum string length code might be of some> use) but I can tell you why it would be useful.  First: the> problem:>> Given 2 versions of a file, which may be binary, generate the> difference in GDIFF format, detailed here:>> http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-gdiff-19970901>> For extra marks, implement the patch program that will generate the> new file from the old file and the GDIFF file.>> The reason this is needed:>> RFC3229  Delta encoding in HTTP>> ftp://ftp.rfc-editor.org/in-notes/rfc3229.txt>> may make use of this format, and it seems there are no rights to it> as there are for vcdiff referenced in the same document.>> Why is this of interest to us?>> Rubygems is facing the problem that as more gems are added the index> is getting far too big to handle.  Implementing RFC3229 seems> feasible, given the existence of a pure ruby - and thus as portable> as rubygems - differencing library.  The logic of the protocol is> fairly clear, but without some means to handle the differences it is> a non-starter.>>> So, is this too hard for a quiz?  Would the Ruby black-belts relish> the challenge?>>         Hugh> </quote>>> So I open this to the floor, so to speak...>         Hugh>>