Re: [omr-dev] ResolvedMethod question

["Mark Stoodley" <mstoodle@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Dibyendu,

Any language that supports introspection
on code will have the kinds of structures I mentioned. But you're certainly
correct that not all languages or runtime scenarios require them.

Our goal for OMR (as a whole, but also
for the compiler) is to make it a toolkit where you can pick and choose
the pieces you want. The goal, again, should be to simplify the integration
API of each tool in the kit to make it easy to tie into something from
outside OMR, but for the integration to be "ready made" if you
take more than one tool and use them together.

I'll be the first one to say that we're
not there yet; OMR is very much still a work in progress and that's why
it's critical to have people (like yourself!) involved from all kinds of
different scenarios so that we can evolve the project closer towards the
ideal.

To be honest, JitBuilder isn't really
all that strongly integrated with the rest of the OMR componentry. So,
if anything, it's less attached to that "big VM" model you're
talking about, but I still know what you mean :) .

That higher degree of separation has
made it possible to use JitBuilder to create JITs for several (I think
you'll agree) lighter-weight VM scenarios, e.g.:
        -
Lua 5.3 (https://github.com/Leonardo2718/lua-vermelha/)
        -
SOM++ Smalltalk runtime (https://github.com/charliegracie/SOMpp/tree/jitbuilder_vmstate)
        -
the lpeg pattern engine inside the Rosie Pattern Language (https://github.com/mstoodle/rosie-lpeg/tree/experimental_omrjit)
        -
WebAssembly's wabt interpreter (https://github.com/wasmjit-omr/wasmjit-omr)

I think the C runtime environment that
you're focusing on probably represents closer to one end of a spectrum
than the spot where most language runtimes operate, but that doesn't mean
we shouldn't be able to cater to that world. The more "static"
the execution model used by the language is, the closer to your end of
the spectrum it will be and I would very much like OMR to be able to provide
value there, even given there are other incumbent open source compiler
projects in this space. 

Thanks for your suggestions, and thanks
for getting involved!

Mark Stoodley		8200 Warden Avenue
Senior Software Developer		Markham, L6G 1C7
IBM Runtime Technologies		Canada
Phone:	+1-905-413-5831
e-mail:	mstoodle@xxxxxxxxxx
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them - Albert Einstein