Steve,
is there some writeup on the your approach to making JikesRVM "modular
and composable"?
thanks,
dims
On 5/11/05, Steve Blackburn <Steve.Blackburn@anu.edu.au> wrote:
> Hi Larry,
>
> I understand your sentiment. I am also a pragmatist.
>
> One of my major missions over the past year or so has been cleaning up
> Jikes RVM to make it more modular and composable. We've nearly got
> there with memory management, but still have a way to go with the other
> components.
>
> Why is this important?
>
> Because I want to make it easier for people to contribute to the
> project. Not just in terms of a few lines here or there, or a bell or a
> whistle, but I want people to be able to drop in alternative compilers,
> alternative GC algorithms etc. Unless the framework is right the
> impedance becomes too high and the rate of non-trivial contribution
> drops off to a trickle. Getting the framework right after the fact is
> an enormous task.
>
> The fundamental architecture of the VM is what makes or breaks it. The
> "just get it out the door" approach has its merits for some projects,
> but for something as complex as this, if you want the thing to
> last---which we do---give some thought to the architecture before you
> throw it over the fence. Choosing to build it in Java or C/C++ is a
> relatively unimportant issue for most projects, but for a JVM it will
> have a significant impact on the architecture.
>
> The goal posts are moving very fast, in terms of the spec, in terms of
> the competing technology, and in terms of the architectural targets.
> Thus the importance of ongoing non-trivial contributions is enormous
> with a project such as this.
>
> This is why I brought it up now (and that is why I prefaced my original
> comments the way I did).
>
> --Steve
>
> Larry Meadors wrote:
>
> >Despite my earlier Mono comment, I could not possibly care less what is used
> >to build the JVM. Use Ruby if it gets the job done.
> >
> >My vote would be to use whatever gets it done quickly and correctly. IMO,
> >focusing on performance at this point is important, but not critical.
> >
> >First priority: Get it out the door, and make sure it is easy to build so
> >everyone who want to tweak it can.
> >
> >Second priority: Work with the community to make it faster and more stable
> >than anything anyone has ever seen.
> >
> >
>
>
--
Davanum Srinivas - http://webservices.apache.org/~dims/
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