From: Christian Boos <cboos@...>
Date: 2001-12-04T17:23:32+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:27417] RE:  Questions building i586-mswin32 version of Ruby

Hello Bob,

I can't comment on all the issues you raised, but here are a few.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Calco [mailto:rcalco@cortechs.com]
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2001 7:05 PM
To: ruby-talk ML
Subject: [ruby-talk:27357] Questions building i586-mswin32 version of
Ruby


>Hello all:

>I'd also like to understand the licensing a bit better, because I'm
>interesting in using Ruby with a commercial application that I'm developing
>for my company, perhaps involving some proprietary extensions, or embedded
>in it, or both.

The core of the Ruby license is something like: "Don't sue Matz" :)
I have the impression that Ruby really examplifies the idea of free
software being a "gift". This means you can do whatever you want with
it, but it's up to you to "honour" what you received.

Also, from the 'ruby/README.EXT' file:

| (10) done, now you have the extension library
|
| You can do anything you want with your library.  The author of Ruby
| will not claim any restriction about your code depending Ruby API.
| Feel free to use, modify, distribute or sell your program.


>I'm not yet very experienced with this cygwin stuff (I'm still bouncing
>around in my head whether it's worth creating a mswin32 version at all, if
I
>can get good enough at the cygwin stuff, I can do my development in that
>where Ruby is concerned, since one of my goals is cross platform behavior,
>and I am given to understand that we loose some Ruby functionality with the
>mswin32 build. Any advice is welcome.)

On Windows, it makes sense to go the mswin32 way, especially in a commercial
context. You have access to all the wonderful world of M$: COM Automation
with the extension 'WIN32OLE' is a highlight.

>I'm also curious to find links to good tutorials on extending Ruby, using
>both mswindows and cygwin configurations.

Beside the file mentioned above, there is a lot of informations to be found
on this ML (though it's getting harder due to its volume; what about a split
along the same lines as the Japenese ML?).

Have a nice day,

-- Christian Boos
-- BCT Technology AG