Hi Mariano, I just saw your comment in OSSUnixSystemAccessor >> getcwd and wondered if there's a feasible plan for errno? What if the VM provided a known accessor function around the global/macro/whatever errno is defined as?
On 26 January 2016 at 08:15, stepharo <steph...@free.fr> wrote: > super! > > Stef > > > Le 25/1/16 23:27, Mariano Martinez Peck a écrit : > > Hi guys, > > OK, I have a first working version and so I wanted to share it with you. > > I have not yet the time to start writing the doc since I just finished the > first pass on the code. Tomorrow I will start with the doc. But I thought > some of you may be interested in taking a look even without formal "doc" > (and some feedback/iteration may avoid re-writing docs..). > > If you have no clue what I am talking about, then this summary is for you: > > *----------* > *When we use FFI to call a certain library it's quite common that we > need to pass as argument certain constants (for example, SIGKILL to > kill()). These constants are defined in C header files and can even change > it's value in different paltforms. * > *These constants also are sometimes defined by the C preprocessor and so > there is not way to get those values from FFI. If you don't have the value > of those constants, you cannot make the FFI call. * > *----------* > > I have tested the tool in OSX and CentOS using latest Pharo 5.0. It won't > work in Windows right now. As usual, all classes and methods have comments > and there are enough tests. > > At the end, I decided the C program will output a very naive Smalltalk > literal array kind of thingy. The tool then parses that output and directly > creates a init method (which is compiled into the SharedPool class) for > that platform which is then called automatically at startup (only if > initialization is needed). > > As for real examples, I started to write constants for libc: signal.h (to > use kill()) , wait.h (to use wait() famility), fcntl.h (to use ... xxx()) , > and errno.h. You can take a look to the package 'FFICHeaderExtractor-LibC'. > > Note that for running the tests you need 'cc' findable by path in OSX and > 'gcc' in Unix. > > To load the code in a latest Pharo 5.0, execute: > > Metacello new > baseline: 'FFICHeaderExtractor'; > repository: > 'github://marianopeck/FFICHeaderExtractor:master/repository'; > load. > Any feedback is appreciated. > I will start writing the doc now. > BTW: Big thanks to Eliot Miranda which helped me answering noob questions > and providing useful code and guidelines. > Best, > > > On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 1:12 PM, Eliot Miranda < <eliot.mira...@gmail.com> > eliot.mira...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> >> Hi Denis, >> >> On Jan 23, 2016, at 7:30 AM, Denis Kudriashov < <dionisi...@gmail.com> >> dionisi...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >> 2016-01-22 22:35 GMT+01:00 Eliot Miranda < <eliot.mira...@gmail.com> >> eliot.mira...@gmail.com>: >> >>> Let's measure this. Let's say we have 8 platforms (that's an >>> underestimate, because different Linux distributions may have different >>> values for certain constants), but 8, which is 4 basic platforms times 32- >>> & 64-bits. We have Mac x86 32-bit, Mac x64 64-bit, Windows x86 >>> 32-bit, Windows x64 64-bit, Linux x86 32-bit, Linux ARM 32-bit, Linux x64 >>> 64-bit, and soon enough there will be more. Further, there may be >>> different versions over time. >>> >>> So each of those initialization methods has >>> - 1 slot for the global variable to be assigned >>> - 1 slot for the literal value to assign to it >>> - 3 bytes of bytecode per initialization for small methods, 4 for large >>> methods. Let's say 4. >>> >>> So the overhead in 32-bits is 12 bytes per constant, and in 64-bits is >>> 20 bytes. So the overhead per constant for all platforms is 96 bytes per >>> constant in 32-bits and 160 bytes per constant for 64-bits. A full system >>> with sockets, files, a database connexion etc could easily exceed 100 >>> constants. I think it would be nearer 1000. So the overheads are in the >>> 10- to 100-k byte range (100k ~= 0.5% of the image) on 32-bits. That's low >>> but it's also pure overhead. Every GC has to visit them. Every senders >>> and implementors has to visit them, but they offer nothing of value. >>> Whereas the small parser for whatever notation is used to store the >>> constants externally (if they are needed in a given deployment) has a small >>> constant overhead; its simple code. >>> >>> Further, you still need the machinery to export the constants to be able >>> to generate these initialization methods. If you've got the machinery and >>> you don't need the methods why bother to generate the methods? >>> >>> As the Scots say, many a mickle makes a muckle. >> >> >> Thank's Eliot for such detailed explanation. It makes sense. >> But personally I prefer Smalltalk solution although Smalltalk itself is >> pure overhead comparing to C. >> >> >> I can see the draw of the pure Smalltalk. Simplicity and brows ability. >> But imagine a tiny headless image deployed on containers, say 2mb. Now >> 100kb of initialization code doesn't look so good :-). Anyway I'm beating >> a dead horse. Mariano is generating initialization methods. >> >> >> My question was raised by Mariano idea to save ston files in methods. I >> think it can reduce problems which you described. >> But then literal array syntax can be more suitable than ston. >> >> >> I just want to be clear, I'm neutral about the notation used to export >> info from the C file. Liberal array syntax, chunk source format, ston, >> xml. It doesn't matter as long as it's convenient at expressing an >> attribute dictionary from names to attributes such as value, size, offset. >> Don't get hung up on the specific notation. If one were to go with the >> external file the only real requirements are that it be reasonably compact >> and quick to parse. That might kill xml but leave plenty of other >> candidates. >> >> >> _,,,^..^,,,_ (phone) >> >> > > > -- > Mariano > http://marianopeck.wordpress.com > > > -- Damien Pollet type less, do more [ | ] http://people.untyped.org/damien.pollet