As far as I understand, Anthony has split his original changes (which
were targeted to VI4) into the following -

1. Compatible code changes to 3.4's Contexts, fixing existing bugs, and
required to support -
2. A new compiler that generates BC correct code, that requires two new
VM primitives to run reasonably fast.
3. Image format changes that create a different representation, allowing
BC and more speed.

I don't know how good this stuff is. Assuming it's wonderful code (which
I'm not, though it probabaly is) my divination rod tells me these
*Could* be included in, respectively, 3.6, 3.7/8, and 4.0 (by
definition).

This will absolutely, definitely NOT happen, unless -
1. We get enthusiastic reports from users that torture blocks.
Preferably not only from Avi, however much we like Avi.
2. Someone else says they really understand it, including effects on
VM/Jitter (at least to the extent of "it doesn't completely prevent
Jitter"), and are reasonably happy with it.
3. We resolve the license issues for 2.

We will still have to deal with a little integration noise in replacing
a compiler that's very well integrated with it's environment, but
assuming it's good long term (see above), we'll deal with those.

Daniel

Stephane Ducasse <ducasse at iam.unibe.ch> wrote:
> Hi
> 
> I do not want that this email is taken in the wrong way. So be positive 
> when reading it. I will try not to fall on the keyboard (TM Andreas) 
> this time.
> 
> I was just asking myself the following question:
> 
> - Anthony mentioned that with his optimisations with full blockclosures 
> were getting 30% speed to squeak and ***true block closure***.
> - Allen Wirfs-brock mentioned that the techniques used were used all 
> over the places by other Smalltalk.
> - I had the impression that still what anthony was doing was a problem 
> for the VM guys (I may be wrong)
> 
> I would like to understand if
> 	(1) what he did is good,
> 	(2) what are the problems to introduce them in Squeak (for example 
> with the optimizations is seaside continuation passing style still 
> working),
> 	(3) what would we lose,
> 	(4) what is the path to go with that?
> 
> So tell me
> 
> Stef
> 
> 
> 
> Prof. Dr. Stéphane DUCASSE
> http://www.iam.unibe.ch/~ducasse/
>   "if you knew today was your last day on earth, what would you do 
> different? ...  especially if,
>   by doing something different, today might not be your last day on 
> earth" Calvin&Hobbes
> 
> "The best way to predict the future is to invent it..." Alan Kay.
> 
> Open Source Smalltalks: http://www.squeak.org, 
> http://www.gnu.org/software/smalltalk/smalltalk.html
> Free books for Universities at 
> http://www.esug.org/sponsoring/promotionProgram.html
> Free Online Book at 
> http://www.iam.unibe.ch/~ducasse/WebPages/FreeBooks.html