Communicating with Smalltalk

[Sean DeNigris]

I'm using the Mechanize library from Squeak Smalltalk. Right now, I'm
sending hard-coded text commands back and forth via TCPServer, but
someone suggested that, if I wrote DRb for Smalltalk, any ruby object
would be sharable with Smalltalk processes.

How should I attack this? Has it been done for any other language?
Is it a huge undertaking?

Thanks.
Sean

p.s. googling "ruby drb other languages" found nothing interesting

 

[Michael Fellinger]

I'm using the Mechanize library from Squeak Smalltalk. =C2=A0Right now, I= 'm
sending hard-coded text commands back and forth via TCPServer, but
someone suggested that, if I wrote DRb for Smalltalk, any ruby object
would be sharable with Smalltalk processes.

How should I attack this? =C2=A0Has it been done for any other language?
Is it a huge undertaking?

I'd say it is. You'd have to emulate Marshal (de)serialization and a
mapping between the Smalltalk and Ruby object models and message
sends.
Being optimistic, you might get something of hello-world dimensions
working in a few days. Full compatibility might never be possible, and
Marshal format changes with Ruby versions, so this is some major
effort.
It might be easier doing serialization with YAML, as there are
libraries for most Smalltalk implementations available.
I think Eric Hodel did some work in that direction.

Another project to look at is Maglev, I have little experience with
it, but worth mentioning anyway.

--=20
Michael Fellinger
CTO, The Rubyists, LLC

 

[Ryan Davis]

I'd say it is. You'd have to emulate Marshal (de)serialization and a
mapping between the Smalltalk and Ruby object models and message
sends.

Iirc you can set drb's serializer to yaml. I think I remember Eric showing m=
e such a thing at one point.=