latest ruby packages for slackware current
Keeping on the track of various projects that have new releases out right now, Ruby has just released a couple of patch releases like 1.9.1-p429. Which has a list of bugfixes, and only a vulnerability that affects Windows users. Another release just a few days ago, is the 1.9.2 RC2 release. Which should be interesting for a couple of reasons. They are stating that it should be mostly compatible with previous versions. This is the current problem with getting many ruby projects updated from 1.8.x to 1.9.1. Now there may be potentially more updates and modifications needed.
Also, unlike the 1.8.x branch that stayed in /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/, once they got underway with 1.9.1 the path standard became /usr/lib/ruby/1.9.1/, so it'll be changing with every sub-major release (so you would think). This is fine and good, and will join the ranks of the layout that other interpreters have taken. I just hope that the community cleanly grabs on to this, otherwise it'll make for ugly clean-up. Another thing, is that despite these path changes due to version, there is no option (like there is when compiling perl) to -Dinc_version_list=''. So you can quickly and easy lose libraries that you had built for a previous version. We will have to continue pulling through this 1.9.2RC2 release, because initially there is not a lot of consistency in paths. There are some libraries built out as 1.9.1, and other paths as 1.9.2. Even the default headers have a mix of whether to be in a 1.9.1 or 1.9.2. Hmmm. I have taken steps to avoid these conflicts, but /usr/lib64/libruby.so.1.9.1 will still conflict.
The packages have landed on cardinal and are to be used at your own risk. I built the 1.9.2 version with a suffix of 192, in efforts to test having multiple versions coexist, but due to the spattering of 1.9.1 conflicts, you should `removepkg ruby` before installing the 1.9.2 package.
In other neat things about ruby-1.9.2, the Time class has been reimplemented so that the year 2038 is no longer a problem.
Available on http://cardinal.lizella.net/~vbatts/ you'll find a ruby18 package. This package does coexist nicely with either ruby or ruby192. I had bundled this up while working with some rails projects (like radiant CMS!) that are not yet ready for ruby-1.9.x
Take care,
vb
Various VIM builds for slackware -current
In the past couple of days I have been staying unusually aware of updates and patches from the VIM project. I have uploaded several packages that have the latest patches of the 7.2 branch. Then for kicks and giggles I pulled down the 7.3a unstable build, but it is nothing released or ready.
One thing in particular, the 7.2.446 build does have --enable-rubyinterp compiled in, for supporting the Ruby interpreter. Someone had sent a link for the lusty-explorer script for VIM. While the prospects of the script look great, I was unable to give it whirl, since the stock VIM in slackware currently does not have the ruby interpreter compiled in.
Enjoy, and feel free to drop me your feedback.
Take care,
vb
using the new rpm2tgz, with flags!!
In slackware-current as of 2010-02-23, the traditional command used for very basic archive conversion of RPMs into a TAR'd.Gzip'd archive, just got a hint of flare. 
Normal usage is typically for easily converting an RPM that you'd like to review, like a 'src' RPM.
But you may find yourself saying, if I could just quickly/easily install <xyz>.rpm on my system as slackware package, it would make life a bit easier. Well now there are several flags available, to be used AT YOUR OWN RISK 
If you execute rpm2tgz with no arguments, it will output the following
$ rpm2tgz
/usr/bin/rpm2tgz: Converts RPM format to standard GNU tar + GNU zip format.
(view converted packages with "less", install and remove
with "installpkg", "removepkg", "pkgtool", or manually
with "tar")
Usage: /usr/bin/rpm2tgz [OPTION]
(Outputs "file.tgz")
-s extract the install scripts to /usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/
for review.
-S extracts the install scripts to be executed on package installation
(only pre-install and post-install scripts used)
USE WITH CAUTION!
-n name the output package using the rpm's metadata
-r extract what the rpm's "requires" (dependencies)
as documention to /usr/doc/$PRGNAM-$VERSION/
-d attempt a wellformed slack-desc from the rpm meta data
Everything is pretty straight forward on what it does, but lets have an example. Say you want hulu-desktop, so you download a file called "huludesktop-x86_64.rpm", and with traditional usage of rpm2tgz, you would have a resulting archive named "huludesktop-x86_64.tgz". This is fine if you are not going to install it, but if you do plan on installing this archive, now it does not conform to the naming convention.
With the flags available, you can specify the following command
$ sudo rpm2tgz -srdn huludesktop-x86_64.rpm
and get a resulting package called "huludesktop-0.9.7-x86_64-1.tgz".
All flags are not needed, for every situation, and particular ones should be used with care (-S), which can and may frequently wreak havoc on your system.
Take care,
vb
gnucash latest unstable
just a quick bump that i have uploaded my latest slackware builds of gnucash to cardinal
it will still all the dependencies. and now can use libdbi (for database storage), and webkit (for rendering reports). such as it is, i have compiled these in with these builds.
enjoy and take care,
vb