From: Jeff <cohen.jeff@...>
Date: 2008-08-08T20:21:55+09:00
Subject: Re: State of Ruby 1.8.6?

On Aug 5, 7:08 pm, Alex Fenton <a...@deleteme.pressure.to> wrote:
> Yep, you're not the only one. If your RHEL machine is exposed to public
> use, my personal recommendation would be to use ruby 1.8.6-p111 with a
> security patch applied; seehttp://blog.phusion.nl/assets/r8ee-security-patch-20080623.txt
>
> This should provide you with a ruby that is secure but also compatible
> with the widest range of libraries. I've been using that version (as
> provided by OS X 10.5) with absolutely no problems.
>
> Ruby 1.8.7 is a dead-end experimental release and I wouldn't waste your
> time with it. For some reason the core ruby development team see the
> "stable" 1.8 branch as the perfect place to tinker around with cute new
> features and needless changes to the underlying extension API. As a
> result 1.8.7 (and possibly later versions of 1.8.6?) don't only break
> certain Rails versions but also any library that uses certain SWIG
> features to generate extension code.
>

Thanks for the info!  I'll try to apply 1.8.6.-p111 and apply the
patch you've suggested.

But let me say this to any ruby core members who may be listening:
This is sad and humiliating at the same time.

Does Matz realize how foolish the Ruby community is looking right
now?  It's one thing to have a tough time fixing code; it's entirely
another to do absolutely no communication whatsoever with those of us
trying to support Ruby and use it on a daily basis.  I've been trying
to hard establish Ruby as a first-class citizen at my day job, and
this episode is undoing all the effort I've been putting into it.

<rant />