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

[John L. <je...@pi...>]

Grzegorz

> > 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.

Are you reading the Changelogs?
 
> > Can we really count on that GNU Classpath will be THE Classpath for
> > free software java projects? What do you think?

Well, do you see any competition?

> 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.

Yeah, it's a cyclical process where the VMs gets better, Classpath gets
better, the VMs get better ...

The number of fairly stable VMs that work with classpath are increasing
too. I think the whole system is close to achieving critical mass if
enough people start using and testing the software. (And this is where
packages like debian packages are critical)
 
> 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.

AWT has traditionally not been the focus of classpath and free java
projects. But it's coming along,  I don't think there is too much work
left before AWT becomes useful.

> 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.

Indeed.

John Leuner