Kevin Smith wrote:

# Robert Feldt wrote:
# >rbwrap - Creating stand-alone executables from Ruby programs
# >
# >It's inspired by previous discussion on ruby-talk and by the
# >wrapping/freezing utilities of python and tcl.
# 
# Excellent. Having written a prototype to 
# accomplish a similar goal, I'm quite interested 
# in your approach.
# 
# >2. copy rbwrap.rb and memunwrapper.c to were you want to wrap exe's
# (snip)
# >Requirements?
# >-------------
# >Windows NT or 2000, Cygwin 1.1.x with gcc compiler, and Ruby 1.6.x.
# 
# Ok. I gather you pack everything into a 
# proprietary format, and unpack it at run-time. I 
# had considered this approach, but had security 
# concerns. It means that the app is writing out 
# files that will then be executed (exe's and/or 
# dll's in Win-speak). I wasn't sure if *nix folks 
# would be offended by that, or if it's perfectly 
# acceptable. (I'd appreciate *nix folks speaking 
# up--I'm a long-time Windows guy who just recently 
# switched).

Does that include Phoenix folks and Kleenix users? :-)  And what about 
*nux folks (you know, the people with the penguin mascot)?

Well at least one AIX freeware site packages multiple Unix install files 
into single self-expanding .exe executables:

    (http://www-frec.bull.com/cgi-bin/list_dir.cgi/download/aix432/)

AFAIK, the *nix attitudes towards such things are pretty much the same as 
for the Win32 world--i.e. are you getting such things from a reasonably 
well-known, responsible, and trustworthy source.

Conrad Schneiker
(This note is unofficial and subject to improvement without notice.)