[Vm-dev] building plugins outside the tree

[K K Subbu]

On Monday 19 March 2018 04:14 AM, Eliot Miranda wrote:

>> Once I install a developer version of Squeak VM, I should be able
>> to make a plugin without having to regenerate the entire
>> multi-platform VM source tree. As a bonus, the developer image can
>> be used as a fallback or bootstrap when no image is given.
> 
> But you don't have to.  You can generate the source of a single
> plugin from a VMMaker image using the VMMakerTool.  This last week I
> got the tool to open with its fields filled in correctly gif default
> production.

Generating C code is the least of the problem. The complexity is in 
compiling it to a shared library. Hardware plugins face a much bigger 
issue than algorithmic plugins because they have to integrate slang 
generated code with hand-coded and local headers/libs.

>> 
>> Currently, plugin making process is like expecting a linux module
>> developer to install the entire linux kernel source tree just to
>> build a kernel module.
> 
> We can do better, but it's work.  At least the new build makefiles to
> allow one to make a plugin using a single make invocation.  You're
> welcome to make improvements!

Understood. I really appreciate all the work that you have been putting 
it into the VM and responding to queries. I really didn't mean to add to 
your todo list. I was just trying to get a feel for possible areas of 
improvements.

Regards .. Subbu