Expose runtime name via process.name?

[bitinn]

I had node.js 0.12 before installing io.js 1.1.0, and was trying to figure out if npm now use iojs instead of node.

Currently npm --verbose will print following for io.js

npm info it worked if it ends with ok
npm verb cli [ 'node', '/usr/local/bin/npm', '--verbose' ]
npm info using npm@2.5.0
npm info using node@v1.1.0
npm verb node symlink /usr/local/bin/node

While from version number it's quite clear that npm is using io.js, if we expose runtime name in some fashion then npm can be improved with a clearer message.

ref: https://github.com/npm/npm/blob/master/bin/npm-cli.js#L58

(if there are existing ways, then i will open a PR on npm repo)

[targos]

related to #493

[bitinn]

oh wait, now my node -v outputs v1.1.0, so to make it compatible, node is an alias to iojs.

[bitinn]

I thought npm could just use process.argv to figure out the right name... but it's called with node, not iojs, so a name still make sense?

[bnoordhuis]

You can use something like process.execPath.endsWith && process.execPath.endsWith('iojs') although it should be noted that doesn't currently quite work on Windows.

[silverwind]

@bitinn: you might be interested in this tiny module:

https://github.com/silverwind/detect-engine

(Thanks ben for the inspiration)

[bitinn]

thx @beanieboi @silverwind, looks like we have enough tool to do this now, close for now.

[bitinn]

Looks like npm would also prefer a solution either through package.json or some runtime api, see #269

And I agree, reading execPath is sort of a hack, when the runtime knows itself perfectly well.

But similar suggestions have been shot down before (see #491 and #493), so hmmm, re-open this until a resolution is reached?

[silverwind]

Wait for #493, I suppose?