Re: [Sablevm-developer] new debian packages of sablevm and friends

[Etienne M. G. <eti...@uq...>]

On Mon, Aug 12, 2002 at 01:48:56PM +0200, Grzegorz Prokopski wrote:
> sablevm 1.0.1-3 is uploaded to debian.sente.pl - I fixed it there
> I also added manual page java.sablevm.1.gz which is linke thru
> alternatives to java.1.gz when you have sablevm 'java' wrapper choosen.

OK, I'll try it.

> 
> > Then I tried to run HelloWorld.jar but it failed, with something like
> > classnotfound.  (I am too tired to remember at this point).
> Not sure if that's really script's fault.
> with jikes I compiled HelloWorld.java to .class and when I try to
> run it using sablevm, I am getting:
> 
> greg@greg:~$ sablevm -Y ./HelloWorld.class 
> java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: ./HelloWorld.class
> 	at gnu.java.lang.SystemClassLoader.findClass(SystemClassLoader.java:73)
> 	at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:308)
> 	at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:259)
> 	at java.lang.VirtualMachine.main(VirtualMachine.java:79)

Of course...  Try "sablevm -Y HelloWorld" (you have to give the class
name, not the file name).

> 
> I think I am doing sth. wrong. Could you please send me your
> HelloWorld.jar file (to private addr)?
> How should I run it using sablevm (not java wrapper)?
> If it runs with sablevm from debs and you can tell me how to run it -
> then fixing the wrapper should be trivial.

I'll send you the .jar, but remember that you have to type "sablevm -c
HelloWorld.jar HelloWorld".  I've seen that you try to extract the
Main class name in your wrapper; nice.

> > On the "running ant" side, I got Method.invoke() working.  Now it asks
> > for Class.getMethods() and Method.getArguments().  These are not
> > difficult to implement. per se (as SableVM already has all this
> > information in its internal data structures), But it is painfully long
> > to write, as you have to take care of array, class, and interface
> > types, as well as static, virtual and interface methods.  So this will
> > get done *after* my thesis, have I decided.  (Unless somebody else
> > wants to do it).
> When do you plan to finish them and get the time to fix this?
> (no pressure, just would like to know)

Would 3 weeks from now be acceptable to you?

> PS: Looking at all gnu-java related CVS trees - I am getting really worried,
> as it looks like there's no real development being made. Times 'since last
> update' are weeks at best - usually months and sometimes years. A lot of
> features has only it's stub files put into CVS with no further action.
> And where's awt/swing development? I hardly see any.
> 
> Can we really count on that GNU Classpath will be THE Classpath for
> free software java projects? What do you think?

I think that one of Classpath's current problems was that it lacked an
appropriate VM for doing development.  There's ORP, but this is a JIT,
and it has some problems, and locating problems in a JIT is much more
difficult.  In fact, you can easily trace SableVM's execution with a
debugger, add debugging traces on every exception thrown, (etc.) very
easily.  Also, SableVM has a solid implementation of JNI (with some
minor holes, easily fillable), which should help.

There is actually some development on the AWT (Swing?) side.  It could
be faster, but it's there.  You should look at the classpath cvs
commits ML.  You'll see things like
http://mail.gnu.org/pipermail/commit-classpath/2002-July/000916.html
which is pretty recent.

GNU Classpath is a little like Debian; it is not backed off by a
companyy, so you have to give it time.  Eventually, robust things come
out of it.

Etienne

-- 
Etienne M. Gagnon                    http://www.info.uqam.ca/~egagnon/
SableVM:                                       http://www.sablevm.org/
SableCC:                                       http://www.sablecc.org/