Pr-zlib 1.0.0 - A Pure Ruby zlib library

Ruby
1

Hi all,

The Pure Team is pleased to announce the release of pr-zlib 1.0.0.

= What is it?

The pr-zlib library is actually two separate libraries packaged
together.
The first, rbzlib.rb, is a pure Ruby port of zlib.h (the C library).
It’s a
module that you can mixin and use as you see fit. The second, zlib.rb,
is a
pure Ruby version of the Ruby interface to the zlib C library that ships
as
part of the Ruby standard library.

= How do I get it?

gem install pr-zlib

Or, just go the RubyForge project page at
http://www.rubyforge.org/projects/pure, download the source and run
either
‘rake install’ or ‘rake install_as_zlib’ (which will install the library
as
‘zlib’ instead of ‘pr/zlib’).

= How do I use it?

require ‘pr/zlib’

The rest is the same as the zlib that ships with the Ruby stdlib.

= Why? (Also in the README)

First, building the zlib C library on MS Windows with Visual C++ is very
difficult. However, certain libraries depend on zlib, most notably
rubygems.
By providing a pure Ruby version we eliminate any compiler or platform
compatibility issues.

Second, even some Unix distributions, such as Debian, do not ship with
the
zlib library by default. By creating a pure Ruby version of the zlib
library
we eliminate the need to install a 3rd party C library, and eliminate a
potential weak link in the dependency chain.

Third, by creating pure Ruby versions of the library and the interface
we
are more likely to receive patches, feature requests, documentation
updates,
etc, from the Ruby community (I hope) since not everyone who knows Ruby
also
knows C.

Last, the zlib interface that ships as part of the stdlib is a little on
the
clunky side IMO. By providing a pure Ruby version, authors can create
their
own interface as they see fit.

= What about Zliby?

Two things. First, Michael has not released the version of the code that
supports Zlib::GzipWriter. Second, Zliby merges the code into a single
file.
The pr-zlib splits the code into its two parts - rbzlib.rb and zlib.rb.
The
former is a module that can be used separately. As I mentioned earlier,
that
means users can create their own interface if they prefer.

= Feeling Generous?

If you think this is a useful library, and would like to see more time
spent
on others like it, please consider a contribution:

http://pledgie.com/campaigns/4706 (Daniel’s general drive)

[email protected] (Heesob on Paypal)

Enjoy!

The Pure Team (Daniel B. and Park H.)

2

On Jun 13, 12:02 am, “Daniel B.” [email protected] wrote:

part of the Ruby standard library.

require ‘pr/zlib’

The rest is the same as the zlib that ships with the Ruby stdlib.

I wonder if this would be more desirable actually in the standard
library for the reasons you give.

potential weak link in the dependency chain.

Third, by creating pure Ruby versions of the library and the interface we
are more likely to receive patches, feature requests, documentation updates,
etc, from the Ruby community (I hope) since not everyone who knows Ruby also
knows C.

Last, the zlib interface that ships as part of the stdlib is a little on the
clunky side IMO. By providing a pure Ruby version, authors can create their
own interface as they see fit.

Good show, gents.

Maybe some benchmarks?

T.

3

On Sat, Jun 13, 2009 at 10:54 AM, trans[email protected] wrote:

library for the reasons you give.
+1 and kudos to the pure team :slight_smile:
Robert

4

I wonder if this would be more desirable actually in the standard
library for the reasons you give.

or perhaps included with rubygems as a backup?
=r

5

Or, just go the RubyForge project page at
http://www.rubyforge.org/projects/pure, download the source and run
either
‘rake install’ or ‘rake install_as_zlib’ (which will install the library
as
‘zlib’ instead of ‘pr/zlib’).

Thanks much–just used it to overcome a

C:\installs\ruby_trunk_installed\bin>gem list
C:/installs/ruby_trunk_installed/lib/ruby/1.9.1/rubygems/spec_fetcher.rb:1:in
`require’: no such file to load – zlib (LoadError)

and it worked and gems installed successfully using it. Sweet.

-=r

6

or perhaps included with rubygems as a backup?
http://rubyforge.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=22220&group_id=126&atid=578

Originally I was going to use zliby, but I think what we’ll do is try to
load pr/zlib if zlib can’t be found. So, you’ll have to install one or
the other first at some point, but at least you’ll have a choice.

Regards,

Dan