import and LuaBinaryModules

[Doug Currie <e@...>]

The LuaBinaryModules add-on is great.
http://lua-users.org/wiki/LuaBinaryModules

So is the proposal for Import.
http://www.lua.org/notes/ltn011.html

Wouldn't it be nice if the binary module semantics were the same as
import semantics? This would make binary modules less dependent and
less intrusive on a global name space. [Binary modules don't usually
have the circular dependencies problem.]

Also, this would also make it possible for import to work with either
Lua or binary code. Should the user care how the import module is
implemented?

Of course, import would need to be augmented with some additional
machinery to search for binary modules as well as lua ones, and use a
different loading mechanism, but that should all be transparent, and
not all that hard. The only issues I see are:
- how to construct/accept binary file names ("*.dll" and "*.so")
- what priority to give binary verus lua modules if both are found

e