Section 22.5. IRC Channels


22.4. Ruby Change Requests

Ruby continues to evolve. Part of its beauty is that it changes slowly and deliberately.

But Ruby is definitely not perfect. Therefore a mechanism is in place for users to suggest changes in Ruby's syntax, its core classes, and its standard libraries. This is called the Ruby Change Request (RCR) process.

If you go to rcrchive.net ("RCR archive"), you will see a well-defined process (put in place by David Alan Black) allowing individuals to suggest changes, offer peer review or feedback, and even vote for or against those changes.

Before making a new RCR, first make sure that one like it does not exist. An identical RCR might be pending or might even have been rejected already.

Second, make sure you have dotted every i and crossed every t, metaphorically speaking. If you propose changing the behavior of a method, be sure to address the issue of breaking old code. If you propose a new operator, address the issues of whether it is really a method, what precedence it should have, how much impact there will be on the parser, and so on.

No one can guarantee that your request will be accepted. That is left in Matz's capable hands. But the more homework you do in advance, the better chance you have of being taken seriously. The ruby-core list is also a good place to mention issues like these (but be cautious and don't waste the time of the core developers).




The Ruby Way(c) Solutions and Techniques in Ruby Programming
The Ruby Way, Second Edition: Solutions and Techniques in Ruby Programming (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0672328844
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 269
Authors: Hal Fulton

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