[Vm-dev] VMMaker + FAQ

[David T. Lewis]

On Mon, Nov 05, 2007 at 09:02:01AM +0200, Andrew Gaylard wrote:
>  
> While still on the topic of 64 bits, ...
> 
> - Is there a list of which plugins still need to be fixed to work in a
> 64-bit VM?

No there is not, but it would be good to have one. It should be kept
separate from the FAQ, because if we actually start working on making
the plugins 64-bit clean the list will need to be updated as progress
it made. The list would probably need to track the status of each plugin
of all four combinations of 32/64 bit image and VM, as well as the
operating system. This is because many plugins rely on external
support code and libraries that are different on different platforms.

The following plugins currently work on Linux for all combinations
of 32/64 bit image and VM:

  BalloonEnginePlugin
  BitBitSimulation
  FilePlugin
  SocketPlugin
  AioPlugin
  OSProcessPlugin
  XDisplayControlPlugin

> - Is there a (programmatic) way to find out if a given plugin will work
> in a 64-bit VM? (e.g. compile-time errors, or the absence of them?)

No. Compiler warnings can give a clue of where to look for problems, but
are not sufficient to indicate whether or not a plugin will work at runtime.

> - Is there a set of guidelines on what to fix when porting a plugin?

Yes, there is a good set of guidelines on the http://www.squeakvm.org/squeak64/
page. See the "Hacking the VM" section, which explains the issues.

Dave