[Vm-dev] 64 bits (was: Squeak Oversight Board minutes – 5/01/12)

Bert Freudenberg bert at freudenbergs.de
Fri May 4 09:59:10 UTC 2012


On 04.05.2012, at 10:16, Casey Ransberger wrote:

> Below.
> 
> On May 4, 2012, at 12:55 AM, Nicolas Cellier <nicolas.cellier.aka.nice at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> (huge snip, context is in the rest of the thread)
> 
>> IMHO, that's not only a question of handling huge image, there might
>> be an advantage for some applications with more speed-efficient object
>> format like for example:
>> 
>> 1) immediate double values (like VW SmallDouble)
>> 2) immediate characters
>> 3) 32 bit integers, signed or unsigned - that would simplify a lot of
>> handlings, and greatly accelerate LargeInteger arithmetic which is
>> still based on 8bit operations on our 64 bits machines !
>> 
>> Nicolas
> 
> Mr. Cellier, a.k.a. "nice," is supporting my point flawlessly. I threw out a couple of reasons to design in particular directions as a way to illustrate that the road to 64-bit is not well defined for us yet, I did so to point out that just bitwidth isn't the only important consideration, and he's pointed out that even the arguments I presented as examples *grossly* underthink the issues involved. 
> 
> To be clear: I'm quite passionate about seeing a 64-bit Cog walk, and I think it's something to strive for, but there are some wonderful people using this VM with different goals, and perhaps unfortunately, learning what we all need from a 64-bit VM is likely to be a longish conversation. 
> 
> In any event, though, #doIt! Make it work, if you want it, and then the rest of the world will be quite out of your way while you're using what you've made. At least in Squeak, we can do stuff like that. 
> 
> CC Eliot because it's his baby and I don't even know what I'm talking about:) At least, he can probably speak to the challenges around 64-bit support as well as absolutely anyone else around.
> 
> 
> Casey


IMHO the most urgent need is to make the 32 bit VM compile on a 64 bit machine. Running 64 bit images would be nice, too, but the problem most users run into right now is that they just cannot easily run their current image on that shiny new box.

- Bert -




More information about the Vm-dev mailing list