[REBOL] Re: Selling REBOL scripts - Scott's Distributed Licence - tm
From: sunandadh:aol at: 8-Jan-2002 17:19
Hi Volker,
> if thats the problem, how about distributing your scripts compressed?
> one has to use some tricks (select the compressed 64#{..} and store it
> to a file using write %file.r #{..}).
> thats similar effort as compiling?
Yes indeed. I've experimented with that too. Here's the outline of code to
compress a script:
foreach script-name [Main utilities Recovery gui-tools]
[
Script-file: read/binary to-file join script-name [".r"]
;; Loads of embarrassing early code omitted (I was
;; learning the basics back then)
;; 1. remove all comments (I should have used 'mold)
;; 2. obsfucate and shorten variable names
;; 3. strip multiple spaces and all newlines
write/binary to-file join script-name [".rll"]
compress script-file
] ;for
where each script (main.r etc) is an object full of functions. Then to
execute the code (ie make the objects available for use):
if error? try [do decompress read/binary %main.rll]
[print "Corrupt script. re-install, or panic now" halt]
etc
the application I wrote the "compressor" is just over 211K of scripts
(including comments, loads of spaced out code). the "compiled" version is
just under 40K
I chose RLL as an homage to DLL
But this sort of "safe" distribution technology can easily be built into
Rebol. It'll be safer (my compressed files are easily uncompressed by anyone
with a modicum of Rebol). And it'll be standard and secure, and give us all
loads of additional advantages.
Sunanda.
