Maybe I'm not understanding the issue, so please forgive me in advance
if my comments make no sense in this context.

a) Can't the VM just send a message to some Smalltalk object?

b) Can't you access the VM by providing external-code entrypoints, or
alternatively in the Squeak model, provide a new primitive?

c) QKS Smalltalk VM contained asynch-message queues. Any code (including
hardware/OS interrupt drivers) could put a message on the queues. The
VM's Smalltalk interrupt mechanism would subsequently detect there were
elements on the queue and generate soft-Smalltalk interrupts at well
known points. Like between message send/returns, etc. Those "soft"
interrupts would send a message (vm-callback) to an appropriate
Smalltalk object to process a given asynch queue entry. This was how we
provided almost all the real-time services for timebase code execution
within QuickTime tracks and other multi-media, real-time timer task
interrupts,  and MacTCP services on MacSTA circa 1991-1995. 

-- Dave S. [SmallScript Corp]

SmallScript for the AOS & .NET Platforms
David.Simmons at SmallScript.com | http://www.smallscript.org


> -----Original Message-----
> From: squeak-dev-admin at lists.squeakfoundation.org [mailto:squeak-dev-
> admin at lists.squeakfoundation.org] On Behalf Of John M McIntosh
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2002 11:06 PM
> To: squeak-dev at lists.squeakfoundation.org
> Subject: Re: passing cmds up from the VM, was pending mac vm 3.2.4
> 
> >John M McIntosh <johnmci at smalltalkconsulting.com> is claimed by the
> >authorities to have written:
> >
> >>  To fix this the ability to send smalltalk commands upwards from
the
> >>  VM to be executed might be an interesting idea. This would require
> >>  some agreement of how to setup the cmd in the VM and some
smalltalk
> >>  changes to trigger the action.
> >One way I've done this in the past is to turn them into pseudo-events
> >and pass them in via the event queue. Usually this is simple,
effective
> >and extensible. Worth checking out.
> >
> 
> Yes, that is what I'm proposing, but it seems comments on doing this
> are few. Must be the olympics.
> 
> Mmm I also need some clever way to pass things back down to the VM if
> one requires responses (not sure if we need this too?).
> --
> --
>
========================================================================
==
> =
> John M. McIntosh <johnmci at smalltalkconsulting.com> 1-800-477-2659
> Corporate Smalltalk Consulting Ltd.
http://www.smalltalkconsulting.com
>
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==
> =