--libcurl (everything.curl.dev)

Article summary

The article discusses a new feature of libcurl that generates compilable C code to replicate a curl call. This feature allows users to copy-paste the C code into an existing program or use it as a reference to know which libcurl API calls are needed. The feature is seen as useful for building on top of libcurl without having to dig through documentation. The discussion revolves around the potential applications and implications of this feature.

Main themes

• libcurl feature
• code generation
• programming models
• interactive programming
• deterministic tools
• UNIX limitations
• language integration
• ffmpeg and other libraries

What commenters say

• The new libcurl feature is useful for generating C code to replicate curl calls without having to write boilerplate code.
• The feature is not a replacement for existing tools, but rather a complementary tool that can be used in conjunction with others.
• Some commenters wish for similar features in other libraries, such as ffmpeg.
• The feature is seen as a step towards making programming more interactive and dynamic, but others argue that it is not a substitute for a more fundamental change in programming models.
• Deterministic tools like libcurl and gengetopt are preferred over artificial intelligence-based solutions for code generation.
• The idea of generating code from existing tools is not new and has been implemented in other languages and systems, such as Visual Basic macros and PowerShell.
• There are limitations to implementing interactive and dynamic programming models on top of existing operating systems like UNIX.
• Some commenters suggest that existing interpreted languages could be used to create a seamless integration between themselves and C, but others argue that this would require significant changes to the underlying infrastructure.