Hi.
I have some questions about the future of Classpath. Maybe this is not
the right place to ask such questions (and get answers); please point me
in the right direction if so.
It is my impression that since the Classpath/libgcj merge, most efforts
have been deployed on the libgcj side (most probably because most active
developers are working mainly on the gcj project). But, more
importantly, it seems that a shift happened in the objectives of the
Classpath project (please correct me if I'm wrong). Originally,
Classpath was meant as a Free replacement for the proprietary Java class
libraries, targetting as many Free VMs as possible (but initially, for
technical reasons, Japhar). This seems to have shifted to make
Classpath mainly a library provider for the gcj project, while
accomodating other VMs only if this requires a minimal effort on top of
the gcj work. Is this so? Or, is supporting as many Free VMs still a
fundamental objective of Classpath?
On the technical side: Classpath cannot be both gcj specific (e.g. CNI)
and compatible with other Free VMs without duplicating efforts to
support JNI:
(1) It is unreasonible to require VMs to be CNI compatible: e.g. CNI,
because it gives direct access to fields, is incompatible with precise
garbage collection schemes, or bidirectional object layout, etc.
(2) It is pretty difficult (if not impossible) to make a good CNI->JNI
code converter, and even if such a thing was built, I doubt it would
make an optimal use of JNI (by caching MethodIDs and FieldIDs). And, as
I pointed in an earlier message, it seems overkill to encode a few short
methods in C++.
So, the question is: what future direction is the Classpath project taking?
I think it is OK if the Classpath project decides to mostly be "libgcj".
In that case, maybe it should say so on its web pages, and then simply
drop completely any C/JNI native support in favor of CNI. If this is
the case, I am ready to get involved in starting a parrallel project,
based on the Classpath code base, that would dedicate itself to be a
library provider for as many Free VMs out there.
If the Classpath project decides, instead, that supporting as many Free
VMs is the goal, they should then question whether writing native code
targetting a single environment (CNI) is really appropriate. I'm not
saying CNI should be completely dropped, I'm just saying it should
probably be done under the gcj project, instead of Classpath, so that
the Classpath code base remains consistent for as many VMs as possible.
And finally, there are some lingering issues... I am ready to
contribute code, patches and bug fixes to the Classpath project, but,
like many others (I'm sure), I am not willing to go all the way to
assign my code to the FSF (I and my university, will defend my rights
under copyright law, here in Quebec/Canada). I would also like to
license my code under the LGPL, because it is not my objective to allow
RedHat or other companies to use my code without the few additional
restrictions of the LGPL over that of the GPL+Exception currently in use
in Classpath. [In fact, this whole licensing issue is probably one of
the reasons for the sorry state of the awt support, and the very slow
progression of Classpath over that last couple of years.] Do you have
any plans to relax your licensing rules? (In a parrallel project, I
would relax them, while keeping the "clean-room" status).
Again, please direct me in the right direction if this is the wrong
forum (or person) to ask.
Regards,
Etienne
PS:It would have been nice to get a reply to my message(s) on the
JNI/CNI issue. Please feel free to do so. I won't bite;-)
--
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| �tienne M. Gagnon mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] |
| Professeur adjoint T�l�phone: (514) 987-3000 poste 8215 |
| Bureau: PK-4930 T�l�copieur: (514) 987-8477 |
| D�partement d'informatique, UQ�M http://www.info.uqam.ca/ |
| Auteur de SableVM http://www.sablevm.org/ |
| et de SableCC http://www.sablecc.org/ |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Etienne M. Gagnon mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] |
| Assistant Professor Phone: (514) 987-3000 ext. 8215 |
| Office: PK-4930 Fax: (514) 987-8477 |
| Department of Computer Science, UQAM http://www.info.uqam.ca/ |
| Author of SableVM http://www.sablevm.org/ |
| and SableCC http://www.sablecc.org/ |
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