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RubyConf 2019 - Ruby Next: make old Ruby quack like a new one by Vladimir Dementyev Ruby 2.7 is just around the corner. It will bring a lot of new features, including new syntax additions: pattern matching, numbered parameters. That's good news. The bad news is that not many of us will be able to use these goodies right away: the upgrade cost blocks application developers; gem authors have to support older versions. What if we were able to use Ruby Next features while running Ruby Current? Maybe, we can cast a metaprogramming spell for that? Yes, we can. And I'll show you how. #confreaks #rubyconf2019
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In this talk titled "Ruby Next: Make old Ruby quack like a new one," presented by Vladimir Dementyev at RubyConf 2019, the focus is on enabling developers to use new Ruby features without the need to immediately upgrade to the latest Ruby version. The key theme center around compatibility and leveraging modern syntax and features while still working in older Ruby environments, particularly Ruby 2.5. ### Key Points Discussed: - **Background**: The speaker introduces Ruby Next, explaining the challenge developers face when they want to experiment with new features of Ruby, like pattern matching introduced in Ruby 2.7, while still using older versions like Ruby 2.5. - **Upgrade Challenges**: Many developers are hesitant to upgrade Ruby versions due to the significant costs in terms of compatibility and the minimal performance improvements gained from new releases. - **Reflections on Ruby Development**: Vladimir shares his experience as a library developer, noting the need to support various Ruby versions to accommodate users who may not have the latest Ruby installed. - **Refinements**: The talk emphasizes using refinements, a way to extend classes in a scoped manner without interfering with existing methods, as a method for backporting new features to older Ruby versions safely. - **Transpilation**: Ruby Next involves transpiling, which allows developers to write syntax from newer versions of Ruby that gets translated back to be compatible with older versions. This is achieved through libraries like 'ripper,' 'parser,' and 'ruby-ast'. - **Community Commitment**: The commitment of the Ruby Next community to thorough testing and validation for backporting techniques is highlighted, aiming to seamlessly integrate modern features into older Ruby environments. ### Conclusion/Taking Away: The Ruby Next initiative allows for a smoother transition to new Ruby functionalities without requiring immediate upgrades to the latest versions. This greatly enhances developer flexibility, enabling them to write cleaner, more modern Ruby code while maintaining support for older applications. The overall message encourages developers to participate in the movement towards a more versatile Ruby experience, where they can benefit from recent advances without being held back by version compatibility issues.
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