[squeak-dev] Creating an image from first principles

Colin Putney cputney at wiresong.ca
Tue Jul 8 04:41:23 UTC 2008


On 7-Jul-08, at 7:49 PM, Andreas Raab wrote:

> Voila, at this point we have a fully functioning kernel image,  
> created completely from first principles.
>
> Once you have the kernel image there is no end to the fun: Since you  
> can now start sending messages "into" the image (by way of the  
> simulator) you can compile any code you want (incl. pools and class  
> vars) and lookup the names properly by sending a message to the  
> interpreter simulator. And then you just save the image and are  
> ready to go.
>
> Anyone interested?
>
> PS. Oh, and I'd be also interested in defining a good interface to  
> do this by means of Hydra, i.e., instead of having to run the  
> simulator run the compiled VM on an "empty image" to do all of this  
> "for real" instead of in the simulator.

Interesting approach.

It seems a little more complicated than Alejandro's "gestation"  
approach, though. With gestation, the child image is created *inside*  
the parent image, carefully avoiding out-pointers. Then the child  
image is written out to disk with a system tracer.

Something like this is going to be full of subtleties, so maybe  
simulation offers benefits that gestation doesn't. Any thoughts?

Colin



More information about the Squeak-dev mailing list