David T. Lewis wrote:
So for the FAQ:
- What is a 32 bit image?
A 32 bit image is an image in which the object memory uses a 32 bit word size for object pointers. The format of object memory and object pointers is defined in class ObjectMemory (see the class comment for a basic explanation). As of this writing, all Squeak images of practical interest are 32 bit images.
This is very good already. How about also pointing out the difference in max. image size, e.g.:
"A 32 bit image is an image in which the object memory uses a 32 bit word size for object pointers, limiting its total size to a maximum amount of 4GB of memory."
- What is a 64 bit VM?
A 64 bit image is an image in which the object memory uses 64 bit word size for object pointers. Squeak now supports a 64 bit image format that is sufficient to produce a working system, but which is intentionally simple, and is expected to be modified and extended to take advantage of additional 64 bit capabilities in the future.
And here:
"A 64 bit image is an image in which the object memory uses 64 bit word size for object pointers, allowing the size of the image to grow beyond 4GB of memory. Etc."
Cheers, - Andreas