Question 1

How do I convert a regular Ruby array to a Hamster vector?

Accepted Answer

Use Hamster::Vector[] with the array elements, e.g., Hamster::Vector[1, 2, 3], or Hamster.from for nested structures. The README shows direct construction examples and mentions Enumerable#to_list for lists.

Question 2

Is Hamster better than Ruby's built-in collections for multi-threaded code?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for concurrency, Hamster's immutability provides thread-safety without locks, unlike mutable Ruby collections. However, if your application has frequent writes, the copy overhead might negate benefits compared to synchronized mutable collections.

Question 3

Can Hamster handle large datasets efficiently?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with lazy lists via methods like Hamster.interval and IO#to_list, you can process large or infinite sequences without loading everything into memory, as demonstrated in the file processing example in the README.

Question 4

What's the performance impact of using Hamster hash vs Ruby hash?

Accepted Answer

Hamster hash uses structural sharing for efficient updates, but creating new copies adds overhead. For read-heavy or concurrent access, it's advantageous; for write-intensive tasks, Ruby's mutable hash might be faster due to in-place modifications.

Question 5

How to update nested data structures in Hamster?

Accepted Answer

Use the update_in method, which allows transforming nested hashes and vectors without mutation. The README provides an example with update_in for deep updates, returning new copies while preserving originals.

Question 6

Hamster or concurrent-ruby for thread-safe collections?

Accepted Answer

Hamster focuses on immutability for lock-free safety, ideal for functional programming. Concurrent-ruby offers mutable thread-safe collections with locks. Choose Hamster for immutable designs, or concurrent-ruby if you need mutable shared state with synchronization.

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