> A runtime system is just a library whose entry points are language > keywords.[1] In go, dynamic allocation, threads, channels, etc. are > accessed via language features, so the libraries that implement those > things are considered part of the RTS. That's a terminological > difference only from Plan 9 C, which has the same features[2] but > accesses them through ordinary library entry points so the libraries > that implement them aren't called `runtimes'. But I think complaining > about a library only because its entry point is a keyword is kind of > silly.
i think this glosses over a key difference. a runtime can do things that are not invoked by function call. the canonical example is garbage collection. - erik
