bug-classpath
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[Bug classpath/22763] FAQ does not mention that integrating Classpath in


From: gcc-bugzilla at gcc dot gnu dot org
Subject: [Bug classpath/22763] FAQ does not mention that integrating Classpath in Sun's JVM is very hard.
Date: 16 Oct 2005 01:27:04 -0000

I asked a FAQ in IRC, and the answer was non-trivial.
May be it could be added in the FAQ entry of the website.

The question is roughly:
"I wish I could help debug Classpath, but I use a proprietary VM. Is it
possible to use Classpath in a prorietary VM?"

The answer is:
"Classpath is supposed to replicate rt.jar functionnalities. Unfortunately,
those functionnalities rely on VM internals. 
Open-sources VMs have public documentation, so it is easy to integrate
Classpath with them. Proprietary VMs work in their own (secret) way, and
Classpath's developpers do not know how to use these internal functionnalities.
Therefore, it is quite impossible for open-source developpers to make Classpath
interact with proprietary VMs."


------- Comment #1 from from-classpath at savannah dot gnu dot org  2004-08-02 
12:06 -------
It's not up to GNU Classpath to work with runtimes, it's up to runtime
implementors to make their runtimes work with GNU Classpath. GNU Classpath has
well documented, though still evolving, interfaces, which make it very easy to
make all sorts of runtimes work with GNU Classpath. In fact it is so easy, that
we seen numerous runtimes that interface GNU Classpath with non-mainstream
platforms, like Oberon, JNode, or .net. On a side note, GNU Classpath is used
by at least one non-free runtime, Jamaica, so it is very much possible for a
proprietary runtime vendor to make their runtime work with GNU Classpath, if
they desire to do so.

People who want to run proprietary runtimes with GNU Classpath should submit a
bug report to their proprietary runtime vendors. Then these vendors can get
their best hackers on it and do it, if they wish to do so. GNU Classpath
developers can't do that job for them, because the  nature of proprietary
software is that only the vendor can make changes to it.

it's like saying 'Why don't you GNU/Linux developers make GNU/Linux work on
Microsoft Windows so that I can use Visual C++ to hack on my GNU/Linux
applications?' It does not make much sense.

It's up to the proprietary software vendors to make sure their proprietary
systems interoperate with the free solutions, not the other way round. By the
nature of free software, they are able to do it. By the nature of being
proprietary, they are the only ones who are allowed to do it.

cheers,
dalibor topic


------- Comment #2 from from-classpath at savannah dot gnu dot org  2004-08-02 
12:45 -------
My proposed answer would be:

"Only the proprietary VM's vendor can make it work with GNU Classpath, by the
nature of the VM being proprietary. GNU Classpath provides well documented and
widely used interfaces for interfacing with runtimes. It's up to proprietary VM
vendors to make their products work with GNU Classpath, if they wish to do so.
If you, as a customer, want the runtime to use GNU Classpath, please talk to
your proprietary software vendor.

You can also try using a free runtime that supports GNU Classpath
out-of-the-box instead."

This answer doesn't talk about rt.jar and such specifics of some particular
proprietary runtime. It's more positive in tone, saying that it's possible, but
up to the proprietary software vendor. Finally, it also points people to the
'real' thing, runtimes already supporting GNU Classpath.


------- Comment #3 from from-classpath at savannah dot gnu dot org  2004-08-04 
21:06 -------
Added to the FAQ


-- 


http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=22763





reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]