# Learning how Ruby compiles etc **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [January 3, 2007, 8:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/learning-how-ruby-compiles-etc/81040 "2007-01-03T08:55:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/merc)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 8:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/learning-how-ruby-compiles-etc/81040/1 "2007-01-03T08:55:35Z")
Hi, feeling quite at home now with the Ruby way of programming and with the Ruby language, I would be interested in some more internals. What happens when I call “ruby myapp.rb”, i.e. how is the compiler/interpreter working? Further, my experience in C is about nothing. I know the C language (yes, I even understand pointers and to a certain extend memory allocation), but have no experience. Where can I learn more about what I need to know to understand Ruby’s C-API and how to extend Ruby with it? So what do you recommend reading if I want to dig deeper in programming? I know my question is not very specific and you may think “get a clue and study IT at the university”, but that is not an option at the moment. 😉 Thank you. Tony ---
**Author:** ![merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/merc)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 9:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/learning-how-ruby-compiles-etc/81040/2 "2007-01-03T09:47:39Z")
On 1/3/07, Tony M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Hi, > > feeling quite at home now with the Ruby way of programming and > with the Ruby language, I would be interested in some more > internals. What happens when I call “ruby myapp.rb”, i.e. how > is the compiler/interpreter working? [eigenclass.org](http://eigenclass.org/hiki.rb?ruby+internals+guide) - guide to reading ruby sources [http://rhg.rubyforge.org/](http://rhg.rubyforge.org/) - ruby hacking guide, translation in progress. If you know japanese look for the original version. some of the articles at [redhanded.hobix.com](http://redhanded.hobix.com) > Further, my experience in C is about nothing. I know the > C language (yes, I even understand pointers and to a certain > extend memory allocation), but have no experience. > Where can I learn more about what I need to know to understand > Ruby’s C-API and how to extend Ruby with it? Programming Ruby has a chapter on extending, and there is a readme in the sources somewhere (readme.ext?). > So what do you recommend reading if I want to dig deeper in > programming? Those sources will be helpful to see how the language is used. If you don’t understand something, look it up in a book or on the web, eventually ask someone to explain. (I can’t recall a good English book on C now, the one I used is in Czech 😉 ---
**Author:** ![merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/merc)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 10:15am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/learning-how-ruby-compiles-etc/81040/3 "2007-01-03T10:15:43Z")
On Jan 3, 2007, at 9:46 AM, Jan S. wrote: > [http://rhg.rubyforge.org/](http://rhg.rubyforge.org/) - ruby hacking guide, translation in > progress. If you know japanese look for the original version. > some of the articles at [redhanded.hobix.com](http://redhanded.hobix.com) Does YARV change this substantially? Or perhaps it doesn’t except for eval.c? – fxn ---
**Author:** ![merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@merc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/merc)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 11:57am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/learning-how-ruby-compiles-etc/81040/4 "2007-01-03T11:57:58Z")
On Jan 3, 2007, at 2:55 AM, Tony M. wrote: > Further, my experience in C is about nothing. I know the > C language (yes, I even understand pointers and to a certain > extend memory allocation), but have no experience. > Where can I learn more about what I need to know to understand > Ruby’s C-API and how to extend Ruby with it? > > So what do you recommend reading if I want to dig deeper in > programming? If you’re going to dig into the C internals of Ruby, you will probably want to own a serious reference book on C. I recommend: Harbison & Steele. “C: A Reference Manual”, Fifth Edition, (C:ARM5, ISBN 0-13-089592X), Prentice Hall February 2002. It’s very well written and has a first class index. I know of no better English language reference for C. There is a website for it: [http://careferencemanual.com/](http://careferencemanual.com/) where you can look before you buy. Regards, Morton