[Gcl-devel] Re: using gcl to create shared library?

[Camm Maguire]

Greetings!

While this would be possible, I think the natural direction would be
to call the GUI as an embedded external rather than the other way
around.  There are several options in this area.  Check out gcl-tk,
and if you do, use branch 2.6.7pre from cvs (-r Version_2_6_7pre).
Also, Mike Thomas has a japi java gui interface option, try
--enable-japi to configure.

There appears to be more demand on having GCL manage more resources
rather than fewer, so the embedded approach while possible is likely
to collide with these other considerations.  Not the least of which is
that GCL natively loads and relocates its own object modules at fixed
address offsets -- loading in a shared library would have to
gurarantee the same load address unless we use dlopen as the dynamic
linker (--enable-dlopen), which is quite limited in comparison -- one
cannot preserve loads across image saves, no more than 1024 open file
descriptors, etc.

Can java run embedded under lisp?

Please keep us posted!

Take care,

Peter Dillinger <address@hidden> writes:

> I'm working with Pete Manolios on some ACL2 stuff, and we had a
> question regarding GCL.  We are looking at building a Java frontend for
> ACL2, but the frequency and magnitude of interaction (e.g. browsing
> the logical universe) is such that a lightweight interface (i.e. no
> IPC) between Java and LISP would be ideal.  It seems like this would be
> possible if GCL could compile an image to a shared object file instead
> of an executable.  Then Java can load the .so file as a native library
> using the Java native interface.  The trick would be getting the
> GCL-based LISP program to export symbols useful to Java.  We wouldn't
> mind using a C wrapper to get some of this to happen.
> 
> The main questions are: (1) does GCL have any support for this at
> present, or is there a clear way to accomplish this even if there is
> not explicit support?  (2) are there any fundamental issues with LISP
> playing in an address space shared with Java?  I could see Java
> disliking certain operations, like brk() and/or sbrk(), but I'm not
> even sure what Java approves/disapproves of in a native shared
> library.
> 
> Any info would be appreciated.
> 
> -- 
> Peter Dillinger       | "Back off!  I'm a scientist."
> address@hidden  |
> http://www.peterd.org |                           - Dr. Peter Venkman
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Camm Maguire                                            address@hidden
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"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."  --  Baha'u'llah