Winding Down Artichoke Ruby
6 days ago
- The author archived the Artichoke Ruby project and related repositories in November 2025, long overdue due to resistance against admitting failure of alternative Ruby VMs.
- Artichoke started as a toy project to build a Rube Goldberg machine using mruby bindings, then evolved into 'oxidizing' mruby by replacing parts with Rust.
- Key accomplishments include a spec-compliant String implementation in pure Rust, a modular VM architecture with loose coupling, and deep learning about Ruby's GIL and Rust's borrow checker.
- The project is being wound down due to lack of time, shifting focus to work and family, diminished joy as the learning goal was achieved, and the ongoing burden of compatibility maintenance.
- Archived repositories remain public for study and forking; users in production are advised to migrate to CRuby or other maintained implementations.
- The author emphasizes that building weird or temporary things is valuable because the act of building changes you.