change core API

[creationix]

Instead of the core being a push-filter, it would be much easier and simpler for me to consume if it instead exported a byte oriented API:

var inf = inflate();

// This writes a single byte to the inflate engine and returns true if I should write more.
// This way I never send too many bytes and it's easier to interface with my
// state machine that's already parsing a byte at a time.
var more = inf.write(byte)

// Data will buffer up inside inflate till I ask for it.
var data = inf.flush()

// Same as before, resets the internal state-machine
inf.recycle();

https://github.com/creationix/git-parse-pack/blob/master/inflate.js

I'm not dead-set on the flush API. If you prefer, I could pass in an onData callback to inflate(onData) instead and create my own flush wrapper. I was just worried that calling onData too many times would hurt performance. Better for me to call in when I need all the data.

[creationix]

Actually, after thinking about it, it would be even faster if you instead returned the next state like my machine does. Then I can tightly integrate your state machine with mine and skip a couple function calls per byte.

var inf = inflate();

// init is both recycle and returns the start state as a function.
var state = inf.init();

for (var i = 0, l = chunk.length; state && i < l; i++) {
  state = state(chunk[i]);
}
var output = inf.flush();
if (!state) {
  // do stuff and then later
  state = inf.init();
}

// When do don't want anymore bytes, state will be falsy

[creationix]

Also I found a couple places where I needed to modify your min.js to work. (probably things you missed while refactoring it)

84c84
<     // return stream
---
>     return stream
718c718
<     emit(null, binary.from(vals))
---
>     emit(binary.from(vals))

[creationix]

Actually, instead of returning me a falsy state, how about I hand you the next state in my machine. When you are done consuming the data, simply return me back my state and I won't need any conditionals inside the hot inner loop.

I will still need some way to get data out of inflate. I still think the ideal interface is something where I ask for a flush and get all the pending data. That way I ask for it when it's optimal for me.

var inflate = require('inflate');

var inf = inflate();

// Pass in my next state for inflate to send back when it's done.
// Calling start also resets/recycles the internal state in the inflate instance.
var state = inf.start(myNextState);
// My inner loop will look like
    state = state(byte);
// Then when I want to pull out data
var data = inf.flush();