# ANN: rake-compiler 0.2.1

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ann-rake-compiler-0-2-1/154491>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [November 30, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ann-rake-compiler-0-2-1/154491 "2008-11-30T16:38:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![luislavena](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@luislavena](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/luislavena)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ann-rake-compiler-0-2-1/154491/1 "2008-11-30T16:38:39Z")

</div>

Hello Rubysts:

I’ll like to introduce you rake-compiler gem version 0.2.1

rake-compiler aims to help Gem developers while dealing with Ruby C  
extensions, simplifying the code and reducing the duplication.

It follows _convention over configuration_ and set an standardized  
structure to build and package C extensions in your gems.

This is the result of experiences dealing with several Gems that  
required native extensions across platforms and different user  
configurations where details like portability and clarity of code were  
lacking.

> **[GitHub - rake-compiler/rake-compiler: Provide a standard and simplified way to...](https://github.com/rake-compiler/rake-compiler/tree/master)**
>
> master

== Current functionality:

- One-liner to be able to compile extensions using Rake

- One-liner to be able to package native extensions into Gems.

- 3 Lines of code to be able to cross compile extensions for Windows  
from Linux or OSX

- Same 3 lines of code to be able to package those extensions into  
Gems for Windows.

I know 3 lines sounds a lot… but compared to current alternatives  
(ala: none), 3 lines is cheap.

== How to get it

Right now it’s only available at github:

gem install luislavena-rake-compiler --source [http://gems.github.com](http://gems.github.com)

Soon at rubyforge, both will be keep on sync.

== Integration

You can use any gem packaging and releasing tool with rake-compiler  
(Hoe, Echoe, MrBones, etc). It doesn’t interfere as long you can  
provide a Gem::Specification to hook into the native gems generation.

== Target audience

rake-compiler is not only to generate gems for Windows. Under certain  
circumstances users request binary gems for Linux since their  
production servers lack the build tools available under development  
environments. This solution ease the path on all these fields.

== Feedback

While there is no project page for it (yet), I encourage users send  
their feedback to Ruby Installer development mailing list.

rake-compiler is a side project of One-Click Installer and attempts  
reduce the gap between users across platforms.

== Thanks

Several users contributed to make this project a reality, which  
includes:

- Aaron P. from nokogiri for the simplified cross compile ruby  
tasks that inspired the ones implemented in this project
- Dan K. from DataMapper and DataObjects for care about support of  
Windows users.
- Jonathan Stott from DataMapper and DataObjects for hacking in cross  
compilation into DO and playing with the workflow

Thanks to everyone for their support and feedback during the  
development of this project!

## – Luis L. AREA 17

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from  
the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent  
disinclination to do so.  
Douglas Adams

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![luislavena](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@luislavena](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/luislavena)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 10:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ann-rake-compiler-0-2-1/154491/2 "2008-12-07T10:01:24Z")

</div>

On Nov 30, 10:32 am, “Luis L.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> This is the result of experiences dealing with several Gems that
> 
> Right now it’s only available at github:
> 
> their feedback to Ruby Installer development mailing list.
> 
> - Dan K. from DataMapper and DataObjects for care about support of  
> Windows users.
> - Jonathan Stott from DataMapper and DataObjects for hacking in cross  
> compilation into DO and playing with the workflow
> 
> Thanks to everyone for their support and feedback during the  
> development of this project!

I look forward to trying this out. Thanks Luis!

T.