43 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
43 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
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---
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layout: post
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title: Cap'n Proto Beta Release
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author: kentonv
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---
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It's been nearly three months since Cap'n Proto was originally announced, and by now you're
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probably wondering what I've been up to. The answer is basically
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[non-stop coding](https://github.com/kentonv/capnproto/commits/master). Features were implemented,
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code was refactored, tests were written, and now Cap'n Proto is beginning to resemble something
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like a real product. But as is so often the case with me, I've been so engrossed in coding that I
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forgot to post updates!
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Well, that changes today, with the first official release of Cap'n Proto, v0.1. While not yet
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"done", this release should be usable for Real Work. Feature-wise, for C++, the library is roughly
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on par with [Google's Protocol Buffers](http://protobuf.googlecode.com) (which, as you know, I used
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to maintain). Features include:
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* Types: numbers, bytes, text, enums, lists, structs, and unions.
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* Code generation from schema definition files.
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* Reading from and writing to file descriptors (or other streams).
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* Text-format output (e.g. for debugging).
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* Reflection, for writing generic code that dynamically walks over message contents.
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* Dynamic schema loading (to manipulate types not known at compile time).
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* Code generator plugins for extending the compiler to support new languages.
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* Tested on Linux and Mac OSX with GCC and Clang.
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Notably missing from this list is RPC (something Protocol Buffers never provided either). The RPC
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system is still in the design phase, but will be implemented over the coming weeks.
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Also missing is support for languages other than C++. However, I'm happy to report that a number
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of awesome contributors have stepped up and are working on
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[implementations in C, Go, Python]({{ site.baseurl }}otherlang.html), and a few others not yet
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announced. None of these are "ready" just yet, but watch this space. (Would you like to work on
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an implementation in your favorite language?
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[Let us know!](https://groups.google.com/group/capnproto))
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Going forward, Cap'n Proto releases will occur more frequently, perhaps every 2-4 weeks.
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Consider [signing up for release announcements](https://groups.google.com/group/capnproto-announce).
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In any case, go [download the release]({{ site.baseurl }}install.html) and
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[tell us your thoughts](https://groups.google.com/group/capnproto).
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