From: Robert Hicks <bobhicks@...>
Date: 2001-10-02T05:49:40+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:21889] Re: Let's work on Windows support

Dave Thomas wrote:

> Folks:
> 
> We currently have a problem with Ruby under Windows. The Cygwin
> version shipped with the Installshield system is the most fully
> featured, but at the same time seems to be flaky in some situations
> (mostly due to Cygwin issues and the normal DLL hell). MinGW seems
> fairly solid, but there are rumors that it doesn't support all the
> background process stuff. The native VC++ version has less features,
> but is easier to integrate with third party DLLs such as Oracle.
> 
> So, I'm thinking we need to do some stuff. There seems to me to be a
> short term problem and a long term problem.
> 
> Short term, we need to work out which of the three available
> mechanisms to use as the standard for Ruby under Windows. We can then
> change the Installshield system to use this, and people developing
> extensions will have something to build against. However, to do this
> we need to get some hard facts: exactly what isn't available under
> MinGW. How serious are the Cygwin networking issues? And so on. To do
> this, I've set up a Wiki page:
> 
>    http://www.rubygarden.org/ruby?WindowsSupport
> 
> As it says on the page, this isn't a place for bug reports or "Cygwin
> sux" messages. As a community, we need to understand the issues in
> detail and then come to some kind of rational decision we can all live
> with.
> 
> Longer term, I suspect we need to be looking at moving away from
> reliance on third party tools to give us the support we need. I don't
> know what would be involved. Is it right to try to emulate the Unix
> process model under Windows? Should there be a Ruby version for
> Windows with a totally different set of libraries. Should we see if we
> can work with ActiveState to produce a port? We can discuss all this
> under http://www.rubygarden.org/ruby?FutureWindows
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> 

Coming from Python I am curious why they do not have this issue? Did 
they decide right up front how everyting was going to be and the Ruby 
community is just now deciding?

I would like to see the Windows version stay on par library wise. I 
would prefer that whatever apps/scripts I create to run on any system 
that Ruby itself runs on.

Bob