> On 2020-02-18, at 6:08 PM, David T. Lewis <lewis at mail.msen.com> wrote:
> 
> Not obvious, but worth knowing:
> 
> "Smalltalk listBuiltinModules" gives a list of all internal plugins.
> These are the plugins that are compiled into the main VM executable.
> 
> "Smalltalk listLoadedModules" give a list of all external plugins that
> have so far been loaded. It is not necessarily a list of all of the
> external plugins, rather it is the external plugins that have been
> referenced by the image. The external plugins are loaded on demand,
> and once loaded, are available for fast access to the primitives that
> they provide.

Also note that you can unload a plugin; this is primarily a benefit when you are developing a plugin since you can build it, compile it, try it, decide something needs more work, unload it, re build it, recompile it, try it again and so on. Much faster than building it internal every time and rebuilding the vm etc.

> 
> If a plugin is compiled as a built-in module, and if it also is
> compiled as a separate external plugin (Windows dll or Unix shared
> library), then the external plugin overrides the primitive implemented
> in the built-in module.


The key point about the external over-riding internal is to support bug fixing without replacing the entire vm. It does of course also almost completely obviate the value of the SecurityPlugin.


tim
--
tim Rowledge; tim at rowledge.org; http://www.rowledge.org/tim
A hacker does for love what others would not do for money.