GZip File Reading

[Jonathan M Davis]

On Friday, March 11, 2011 16:27:21 dsimcha wrote:
> On 3/11/2011 7:12 PM, Stewart Gordon wrote:
> > On 10/03/2011 04:53, dsimcha wrote:
> > <snip>
> > 
> >> I'd like to get some comments on what an appropriate API design and
> >> implementation for
> >> writing gzipped files would be. Two key requirements are that it must
> >> be as easy to use as
> >> std.stdio.File and it must be easy to extend to support other
> >> single-file compression
> >> formats like bz2.
> > 
> > You don't seem to get how std.stream works.
> > 
> > The API is defined in the InputStream and OutputStream interfaces.
> > Various classes implement this interface, generally through the Stream
> > abstract class, to provide the functionality for a specific kind of
> > stream. File is just one of these classes. Another is MemoryStream, to
> > read to and write from a buffer in memory. A stream class used to work
> > with gzipped files would be just another.
> > 
> > Indeed, we have FilterStream, which is a base class for stream classes
> > that wrap a stream, such as a file or memory stream, to modify the data
> > in some way as it goes in and out. Compressing or decompressing is an
> > example of this - so I guess that GzipStream would be a subclass of
> > FilterStream.
> > 
> > Stewart.
> 
> But:
> 
> 1.  std.stream is scheduled for deprecation IIRC.

Technically speaking, I think that it's intended to be scheduled for deprecation 
as opposed to actually being scheduled for deprecation, but whatever. It's going 
to be phased out as soon as we have a replacement.d

> 2.  std.stdio.File is what's now idiomatic to use.

Well, more like it's the only solution we have which will be sticking around. 
Once we have a new std.stream, it may be the preferred solution.

> 3.  Streams in D should be based on input ranges, not whatever crufty
> old stuff std.stream is based on.

Indeed. But the new API still needs to be fleshed out and implemented before we 
actually have even a _proposed_ new std.stream, let alone actually have it.

- Jonathan M Davis