From: trans <transfire@...>
Date: 2009-06-13T17:54:06+09:00
Subject: Re: pr-zlib 1.0.0 - A Pure Ruby zlib library



On Jun 13, 12:02 am, "Daniel Berger" <djber...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> The Pure Team is pleased to announce the release of pr-zlib 1.0.0.
>
> = What is it?
>
> The pr-zlib library is actually two separate libraries packaged together.
> The first, rbzlib.rb, is a pure Ruby port of zlib.h (the C library). It's a
> module that you can mixin and use as you see fit. The second, zlib.rb, is a
> pure Ruby version of the Ruby interface to the zlib C library that ships as
> part of the Ruby standard library.
>
> = How do I get it?
>
> gem install pr-zlib
>
> Or, just go the RubyForge project page athttp://www.rubyforge.org/projects/pure, download the source and run either
> 'rake install' or 'rake install_as_zlib' (which will install the library as
> 'zlib' instead of 'pr/zlib').
>
> = How do I use it?
>
> require 'pr/zlib'
> # The rest is the same as the zlib that ships with the Ruby stdlib.

I wonder if this would be more desirable actually in the standard
library for the reasons you give.

> = Why? (Also in the README)
>
> First, building the zlib C library on MS Windows with Visual C++ is very
> difficult. However, certain libraries depend on zlib, most notably rubygems.
> By providing a pure Ruby version we eliminate any compiler or platform
> compatibility issues.
>
> Second, even some Unix distributions, such as Debian, do not ship with the
> zlib library by default. By creating a pure Ruby version of the zlib library
> we eliminate the need to install a 3rd party C library, and eliminate a
> potential weak link in the dependency chain.
>
> Third, by creating pure Ruby versions of the library and the interface we
> are more likely to receive patches, feature requests, documentation updates,
> etc, from the Ruby community (I hope) since not everyone who knows Ruby also
> knows C.
>
> Last, the zlib interface that ships as part of the stdlib is a little on the
> clunky side IMO. By providing a pure Ruby version, authors can create their
> own interface as they see fit.

Good show, gents.

Maybe some benchmarks?

T.