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Cross-language compilers aren't a particularly new concept, though. And I fail to see how this one's exactly useful, either. Seems more like an "it can be done"

Cross-language compilers aren't a particularly new concept, though. And I fail to see how this one's exactly useful, either. Seems more like an "it can be done" sort of challenge, rather than a tool people would use in everyday programming. But since it's currently the #1 post on Hacker News, maybe people do have some use for a Ruby-to-Java compiler, so could you enlighten me?

wr1472 14y ago
Think of this as art - it doesn't need to have a purpose. Or think of it as the solution to a problem yet to be discovered - isn't that how most discoveries are made? Either way great achievement.
- sublimit 14y ago
  It is a feat of compiler design if it works even adequately. I was expecting to see some example output, though.
  - headius 14y ago
    I'll try to add some for you tonight :-)
cookiecaper 14y ago
See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12487986/how-can-i-make-ruby-release-unreferenced-memory http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12487986/how-can-i-make-r... . The tl;dr of it is that MRI is atrocious at memory management. For political reasons we are stuck using Ruby in a situation like that; if we could easily, accurately compile that to Java and run it with with java -jar my_script.jar it'd be awesome.
- drstewart 14y ago
  You are aware of JRuby, no?
  - chc 14y ago
    And just for anyone unaware, this project is by the author of JRuby.
    - VeejayRampay 14y ago
      Just for the sake of correctness, Charles Oliver Nutter is actually of one of the main developers of JRuby, a project created about 10 years ago but which has evolved a LOT since then. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby#History
  - cookiecaper 14y ago
    I am aware, but I haven't really had the time to get involved in testing it. I know we'd have to make some code changes because we depend on modules with native extensions in our script, but I don't know that they'd really be prohibitive. Much easier would be: "Make this Java with one command to a cross-compiler".
- sublimit 14y ago
  Thanks, I figured there would be some situation like this that'd inspire one to write a cross compiler.
VeejayRampay 14y ago
Cross-language compilers are not a new concept, you're right about that. I was more enthusiastic about the fact that any person trying to offer alternatives is doing a good deed. Whether or not this has practical applications is irrelevant for now, the project seems to be in its infancy. Nonetheless, it's a good thing that the author is trying and tackling new concepts.

wr1472 14y ago

Think of this as art - it doesn't need to have a purpose. Or think of it as the solution to a problem yet to be discovered - isn't that how most discoveries are made? Either way great achievement.

sublimit 14y ago
It is a feat of compiler design if it works even adequately. I was expecting to see some example output, though.
- headius 14y ago
  I'll try to add some for you tonight :-)

cookiecaper 14y ago

See http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12487986/how-can-i-make-ruby-release-unreferenced-memory http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12487986/how-can-i-make-r... . The tl;dr of it is that MRI is atrocious at memory management. For political reasons we are stuck using Ruby in a situation like that; if we could easily, accurately compile that to Java and run it with with java -jar my_script.jar it'd be awesome.

drstewart 14y ago
You are aware of JRuby, no?
- chc 14y ago
  And just for anyone unaware, this project is by the author of JRuby.
  - VeejayRampay 14y ago
    Just for the sake of correctness, Charles Oliver Nutter is actually of one of the main developers of JRuby, a project created about 10 years ago but which has evolved a LOT since then. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby#History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JRuby#History
- cookiecaper 14y ago
  I am aware, but I haven't really had the time to get involved in testing it. I know we'd have to make some code changes because we depend on modules with native extensions in our script, but I don't know that they'd really be prohibitive. Much easier would be: "Make this Java with one command to a cross-compiler".
sublimit 14y ago
Thanks, I figured there would be some situation like this that'd inspire one to write a cross compiler.

VeejayRampay 14y ago

Cross-language compilers are not a new concept, you're right about that. I was more enthusiastic about the fact that any person trying to offer alternatives is doing a good deed. Whether or not this has practical applications is irrelevant for now, the project seems to be in its infancy. Nonetheless, it's a good thing that the author is trying and tackling new concepts.