Where do I begin?

[Rick Innis]

> Is there a document (other than the source) describing the
> architecture?  

Not that I'm aware of - if there is one, please tell me!

You might want to consult the Java VM Spec, which at least tells you
what a Java VM is supposed to do.

> A glossary (what's a 'trampoline', for instance)?

Check the online dictionary of computing -
http://wfn-shop.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/foldoc

> Is anything I add to Kaffe tainted if I look at Sun's source?

Utterly :-(

I think looking at Sun's source pretty much disqualifies you from
working on any other Java VM. (Though I just reviewed their
non-commercial licence and it didn't actually say that.) It certainly
disqualifies you from working on Kaffe, since the intent was to make
this a "clean room" implementation.

	--Rick.