From: Intransition <transfire@...>
Date: 2010-05-26T04:51:40+09:00
Subject: Re: isolate 2.0.1 Released



On May 24, 7:15 pm, John Barnette <jbarne...@gmail.com> wrote:
> isolate version 2.0.1 has been released!
>
> * <http://github.com/jbarnette/isolate>
>
> Isolate is a very simple RubyGems sandbox. It provides a way to
> express and automatically install your project's Gem dependencies.

An interesting project, I think, in light to Bundler. Basically it
seems like you refined the idea of Bundler down to it's essential
usage as an "isolator", and got rid of the other features. The one
exception perhaps being dependency resolution. But I like your "Not
Gonna Happen" takes:

    * Dependency resolution. If this ever becomes a serious problem
for us, we’ll likely push hard to solve it in RubyGems proper. If you
run into these sorts of problems a lot, use Bundler. Or less
libraries.
    * Autorequire. Unlike config.gems or other solutions, Isolate
expects you to be a good little Rubyist and manually require the
libraries you use.
    * Support for Git or other SCMs. You’re welcome to write an
extension that supports ‘em, but Isolate itself is focused on
packaged, released gems.

I have to agree. RubyGems proper should probably be in charge of
dependency resolution. The autorequire feature of RubyGems itself has
always been a bad idea (IMO). And really, doesn't one our SCMs provide
tools for vendoring? Why would Bundler need to do it?

The one thing that strikes me though. Your Isolate file format is so
close to Bundler's Gemfile, I'm not sure there's any reason to name it
something else. All you have to do is support `group` as another term
for `env` and then Isolate's file should be a full subset of Gemfile.
You might even make isolate handle unused aspects of Bundler's
Gemfile's spec gracefully, then anyone can use Isolate who also uses
Bundler.