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by joevandyk 4191 days ago
Why don't MRI developers use RubySpec?
1 comments

As linked in another comment, basically:

https://bugs.ruby-lang.org/issues/7549#note-2

1. Matz is, and always will be BDFL. 2. The core Ruby team wants to talk in terms of C and MRI being the Ruby spec, not a third party/written RubySpec

That's an absolutely terrifying attitude from a language developer....
Is it? Python is exactly the same. It has no language spec (defined by its implementatation), and it has a BDFL who hasn't pushed for one.
It would be good for Python to have more rigor in its definition. But the situation here doesn't have an analog in the Python world: there is no "PythonSpec" third-party test suite that is a) more complete than the official suite, b) exposing segfaults in previously working code, and c) going unused by the core developers.
That other languages are equally badly specified is not a good argument for why it's not terrifying.

Then again, I don't care about Python. I do care about Ruby.

They could always have their own fork/branch for upcoming releases of Ruby. It's not like the spec has to freeze the language.