From: Bob Calco <robert.calco@...>
Date: 2002-09-29T05:38:56+09:00
Subject: RE: R

Bill et al.:

I'm currently working on a project I'm calling Ruby/FE, where FE stands for
"Front End". It is sort of like Ripper, except that I am completely
separating the parser from the Ruby runtime, and implementing a syntax tree
traversal API that will simplify doing anything you want with Ruby source -
interpreting it, compiling it, statically analyzing it, or even building
IDE-like utilities such as source browsers and real-time syntax checkers.

With this API, somebody could take a piece of Ruby code and actually
generate byte code for some target platform, or object code even - the back
end possibilities are left to the user to explore.

I will be including, however, several samples, including a Ripper-like Ruby
extension for using the API in Ruby, a C-code generator, and a Ruby static
analyzer.

At FreeRIDE we will eventually be using this to implement an advanced source
browser for the IDE, to facilitate intellisense-like functionality.

WRT "R" - I don't know how I feel about it yet. I like to think my Ruby/FE
will make it so much easier for somebody to create a generator on the
backend that learning a new Ruby-fied C-like hybrid language would be
unnecessary. I'd just as soon compile real Ruby straight to object or byte
code or even real C. On the other hand, I'd be interested to see where (and
if) R goes...

Sincerely,

Bob Calco

%% -----Original Message-----
%% From: William Djaja Tjokroaminata [mailto:billtj@y.glue.umd.edu]
%% Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2002 2:49 PM
%% To: ruby-talk ML
%% Subject: Re: R
%%
%%
%% Anyone interested in R, including myself and probably Nikodemus?  :)
%%
%% (Yes, yes, definitely not all the rubyiests :) )
%%
%% Regards,
%%
%% Bill
%% =================================================================
%% ==========
%% Albert Wagner <alwagner@tcac.net> wrote:
%%
%% > Who is this "we" you speak of?
%%
%% > <snip>
%%
%%