Feature Request: Build from Source

[anoduck]

Feature Request: Build Nim from Source

Choosenim should be able to provide the same functionality as it's equivalents in other programming languages, and that would include the ability to download nim from source and build it if necessary. In the least, it should be able to do this for Linux based OSs.

Currently, there is no means by which users can easily manage different versions of Nim that are built from source. This would include keeping up-to-date with the newest version of Nim and patching security vulnerabilities. This inability represents a stumbling block in the way of Nim's acceptance as a mature language for programming, as unless developers are actively involved in the Nim development community, they can easily become unaware of important releases and security fixes. Which means there is the potential for work invested in creating a new program written in Nim to be lost due to it being based off a version of Nim that is deprecated or vulnerable to a security vulnerability.

As long as Nim still possesses difficulties with OpenSSL versions, users will have to compile their own installation of Nim, and as long as they are required to do this, they will lack the ability to easily maintain their version with the newest release.

[nocturn9x]

I may be pulling a stupid here, but I'm pretty sure you're wrong? Afaik choosenim can pull stuff from source if it can't find an existing release that's already compiled I think.

[anoduck]

@nocturn9x
I really wish I had included a clear example of what I was referring to, as a lot has happened in a month, and I am unsure what I was referring to. I wasn't getting much sleep at that time, so it is a little fuzzy.

I believe it was some compatibility issues with the most recent release of OpenSSL. IDNK, 🤷🏻. Regardless, whatever the issue was it appears to have corrected itself, at least from what I can tell at this moment.

So, I am going to close this one out, and reopen it if issues are encountered later.

Please see below.

[anoduck]

@nocturn9x So, yeah. The reason I originally created this issue happened again, and now I have the foresight to better address it.

In short, the problem is choosenim does not provide the option to pull from sources and compile, even if a prebuilt binary exists.

System Info

System: Kali Linux Rolling Release (Debian Sid)
Shell: Zsh
Nim Version: 2.2.4
Referencing Issues: nimble #1315

Issue

When installing Nim for the first time using curl https://nim-lang.org/choosenim/init.sh -sSf | sh, it installs without error, BUT nimble is not functional. Commands to refresh or install packages end abruptly with the error message, "SIGILL: Illegal Operation". Which is commonly referred to as a broken installation.

Since it appears the issue is commonly encountered, there was the option for the developers of Choosenim to have implemented a method to test for the conditions resulting in the above error, and mitigate it occurrence. Although, this cannot often be done, as predicting the future is not possible. Regardless, an option to download sources and compile should have been included as a feature.

As it stands now, commands for choosenim to install a different version, simply install from a binary release. When it is requested to install the stable release, this will result in installing the same version that possess the above error.

In order to meet the same standards as similar programming language version management programs, choosenim must provide an option to pull from source and compile itself, even if a prebuilt binary is available.

Reproduction

1. Install Kali Linux
2. Install Nim: curl https://nim-lang.org/choosenim/init.sh -sSf | sh
3. Run Nimble: nimble refresh
4. See error: SIGILL: Illegal operation.

Resolution

The resolution to the SIGILL: Illegal Operation error is to download nim manually, and manually compile and install it onto the system.

[SpotlightKid]

@anoduck Hint: Development of choosenim now happens at https://github.com/nim-lang/choosenim

[anoduck]

@SpotlightKid Thank you. Greatly appreciated.