From: Conrad Schneiker/Austin/Contr/IBM <schneik@...>
Date: 2000-11-10T03:10:27+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:6198] Re: Thoughts on a Ruby browser

Stephen White wrote:

# On Thu, 9 Nov 2000, Conrad Schneiker/Austin/Contr/IBM wrote:
# 
# > It sort of seems like what you are (implicitly) asking for is (to 
mention
# > one of several possibilities) an IDE development language, a long list 
of
# > (dynamically extensible) behavioral specifications in terms of such a
# > language, and something of an expert system to weave everything 
together
# > into a coherent system.
# 
# You got that pretty much right, but I wasn't proposing to implement all
# of that on the first go - just that this is the sort of stuff I like.

<...>

# > What sort of overall model would others suggest as a general
# > framework for dealing with some reasonable subset of the Hal and
# > Stephen lists (plus related suggestions)?
# 
#   A parser for Ruby source code, extracts classes, methods, and
#   reference locations.

Is this something that a Ruby 1.7+ option could provide in a more 
convenient and "off-the-shelf" form?

#   A database for parser results. Accepts incremental updates and can
#   handle positional queries from editors.
# 
#   A viewer. Could be a couple of listbox widgets for now.
# 
# > And how would you generally employ Ruby for implementing that model?
# 
# Run Ruby on itself, recursively. Ruby would make a nice IDE development
# language and saves having to learn yet another language. :)

I meant "and IDE development language" in the sense of the OO stuff that 
you initially build with Ruby to deal with the low level stuff, so that 
the top level code would more directly reflect the level at which you 
specified the desired behaviors in your big list. Ruby itself has no 
builtin IDE vocabulary and expertise as it were. 

Does anyone know of any relevant/notable systems around whose architecture 
would be worth studying in connection with R.IDE?

Conrad Schneiker
(This note is unofficial and subject to improvement without notice.)