Indicate whether a gem will build extensions

[postmodern]

Indicate whether a gem has extensions set in it's gemspec. This will help users distinguish between native or FFI bindings from C/Java extensions. Additionally, malicious code could be executed via extensions at install time. Indicating the presence of such extensions would help the user be more suspicious of strange new gems.

[cmeiklejohn]

+1 to this idea... want to take a pass at implementing it?

[postmodern]

@cmeiklejohn I have no idea how this would be implemented, and am nearing the end of a contract.

[qrush]

I don't see why this is necessary. Bundler isn't going to show this info anyway. 👎 so far.

[postmodern]

@qrush a user should know before they install a Gem, if it will execute additional code during installation. Also, Bundler does indicate a gem is about to build extensions upon first installation:

Installing nokogiri (1.5.5) with native extensions .....
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Using bundler (1.2.1) 

However, I fail to see how this issue relates to Bundler at all.

Now that JRuby 1.7.0 no longer supports C extensions, it would be helpful to JRuby users to know if a library contains a C extension. Many C extensions are abandoned or fail to compile against their library. JRuby developers could query rubygems.org for the most popular abandoned/broken C extensions, and rewrite them using FFI. This would benefit all Ruby implementations.

[vassilevsky]

This is important. I would actually like to be able to tell if a gem builds an extension the sooner the better.

What if the gem page shows icons like #️⃣ (with tooltip) next to gem versions if they build extensions?
On gem list page, display the icon next to gem name if its most recent version builds an extension.

[Gedrovits]

+1 Very important for isolated systems without internet access, because we need to provide compiled way for them.

[arthurnn]

I am ok with this. Should not be that hard to build, if anyone interested in taking this task, go ahead.

[Gedrovits]

Will look into it.

+1 from me too. Perhaps it could also be shown on the gem-page on rubygems.org, something small, an indicator or a small icon. Most gems are pure ruby probably, the few that require extensions to be compiled, could perhaps have a big C or C++ letter or something somewhere on the right side or so. :)

[jc00ke]

Going a bit further, there could be a global gem setting that would force a prompt Y|n before a C-ext is compiled. By default the prompt should be off, but if set could show user a link or open C-ext dir in $EDITOR.

[simi]

Just to mention: rubygem extension != C compiled extension every time.

[vassilevsky]

What else could it be?