[latexr]

> OK, but isn't jq just an example of a favorite scripting environment with a multi-meg install and a dependency system?

No? jq is a single binary a little over half a MB with no runtime dependencies. You can simply download it and use it. And you only need that if it’s not already included in whatever system you’re using, which it likely is. It even comes with macOS these days, which is more than what you can say for Python.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44408432

> Neither curl nor jq is a builtin operation.

Pretty sure they meant it as in builtin with the system, not the language. As per their first paragraph:

> Even a minimal image like busybox will have enough to do serious work.

[thaumasiotes]

> No? jq is a single binary a little over half a MB with no runtime dependencies.

I just downloaded it to see what size it was, and it's 2200 KB.

> Pretty sure they meant it as in builtin with the system, not the language. As per their first paragraph:

>> Even a minimal image like busybox will have enough to do serious work.

Busybox doesn't include curl or jq. They aren't builtins by any standard.

This becomes obvious every time you set up a new machine and try to curl something, and then realize you have to install curl.

[latexr]

> I just downloaded it to see what size it was, and it's 2200 KB.

We both saw different versions. You looked at the Linux one, but I looked at the macOS one. The version which ships with macOS is smaller than the one on the website, but even so the website version is under one MB.

I’m intrigued by what causes the large difference.

> Busybox doesn't include curl or jq.

Thank you for the correction. In that case I don’t know what the other user meant. Perhaps they’ll come back and can clarify.