From: Massimiliano Mirra <list@...>
Date: 2002-03-16T18:50:16+09:00
Subject: Re: Reading from a string

On Sat, Mar 16, 2002 at 05:28:27PM +0900, Thomas Sondergaard wrote:
> Have you reimplemented the features like gets, readline, readlines, etc.
> from IO or are you using the same implementation? Wouldn't it be nice to
> write these features once and for all and make them available to all
> (future) stream implementers?

> 
> Would it be possible for you to refactor StringIO, so the implementation
> of these convenience methods become available to other "IO" stream
> implementers?
> 
> IO RCR: http://www.rubygarden.org/article.php?sid=179
> IO RCR Discussion: http://www.rubygarden.org/ruby?IORCR

It's fine for writing (as shown of one of those pages) but I found it
troublesome for reading.  Basically you'd have to base generic
readline, gets and such, on a class-specific implementation of
something as small as a getc.  Can you see yourself iterating through
each byte until you find the pattern?  I _think_ it's a bit
inefficient compared to (at least non-greedy) regexps.  (I'd be happy
to be proven wrong, though!)

Massimiliano