DMD Source Archive - Why?

[Walter Bright]

On 4/11/2024 8:28 AM, Steven Schveighoffer wrote:
> Think of why we use standard object formats instead of our own format (which 
> would allow much more tight integration with the language).

We use standard object formats because we don't have a linker. I've spent a lot 
of time trying to understand their byzantine structure. It's not fun work.

I mentioned that the archive support can be pluggable. It's only two functions 
with a generic interface to them. If we aren't going to move forward with source 
archives, it would be a giant waste of time to learn .tar and all its variations.

I chose to invent the .sar format because it's 20 lines of code to read them, 
and about the same to write them. Even doing a survey of the top 10 archive 
formats would have taken more time than the entire PR, let alone the time spent 
debating them.

The source archive PR is a proof of concept. The actual archive format is 
irrelevant.


 > or we could indicate they are vendor-specific extensions

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of being a .tar format?

 > It should be a high bar to add new file formats to the toolchain, as this 
affects all tools that people depend on and use.

Using a .tar format would affect all the dlang source code tools just as much as 
using the .sar format would.