Core image (was RE: Mythical small kernel images?)

Torsten.Bergmann at phaidros.com Torsten.Bergmann at phaidros.com
Tue Feb 11 19:07:07 UTC 2003


> Wow! I have never seen anything like this in Squeak before. Very
> impressive!

Yes it's impressive 

>If it is really needed we can ask for a permition to made
>it under Squeak-L.

Yes it is needed, see below

>Out images can determine the minimum requirements for the VM...
>They can also be used to build the minimum VM that can run them.

Have a look at http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com/squeak/squeak22embedded10.zip
Its a small image from the pre-morphic age which can be compiled into
the VM executable. It contains the nice old browsers, debugger, ...
Would be nice if we could build images like this with a tool and
builder scripts (instead of shrinking scripts).

"Building is sometimes better than shrinking - it's much harder to build a
house by shrinking a big stone block instead of composing small blocks"

So we could create one or more core images:

- core 01:  Object, Boolean, Compiler, ClassLoader, ..., (+ Network)
  (used for console based and embedded systems )
- core 02:  core 01 + MVC tools (Browser, Debugger, ...) + FFI + SqueakMap
- core 03:  core 01 + Morphic, ...
- ...

This would also help in building Morphic V2.0 from the ground up
(modular, morphic worlds in one than more native windows, ...).

It may also help to build an image which hosts independent
Squeak systems/versions, environments ... or build versioned squeak
modules/components comparable to dll's, java class files, .NET assemblies,
smalltalk link libraries, ...

So please ask for permition ;)

Thanks
Torsten











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