[kaffe] GNU Classpath and Kaffe

[rob at kaffe.org]

Hi Michael,


> > I haven't posted to the list in quite some while, so I guess I should
> > chip in so people know I'm still here.  Y'all are reading my blog on
> > Planet Classpath, right?  :-)
> Where is this?

http://planet.classpath.org/

(google's great ;) )


> > I see Kaffe as a staging area for the Classpath project.  Most class
> > library development happens there, but we're a good place to test things
> > out before pushing it to the mothership.
> Which, if any, VM was classpath designed for?

It wasn't designed for a specific VM.

>From the Classpath FAQ
http://www.gnu.org/software/classpath/faq/faq.html#faq1_1:

- What is GNU Classpath?

  GNU Classpath is a set of essential libraries for supporting the Java
  programming language.

  Classpath serves the same role that libc has for C, but is much richer
  in functionality. The broadness of the standard library is an important
  reason why Java has been so successful. For example, the library
  includes frameworks to convert between character encodings, for
  accessing relational databases, for building Graphical User Interfaces,
  for encryption, for logging, and for numerous other tasks that are
  needed to build complex applications.

- Is GNU Classpath all that is needed for running Java programs?

  GNU Classpath is a free implementation of Java\u2019s standard library.
  To execute Java programs, it is also necessary to have a Java Virtual
  Machine (JVM). This component manages memory, enforces security
  restrictions, compiles Java bytecodes to the instruction set of your
  computer, and provides other runtime services. There exist several
  projects for free JVMs . Most use GNU Classpath as the up-stream source
  for their library.

  Java programs can also be compiled \u201cahead of time,\u201d like C++
  or other compiled languages. The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) does
  this, and its Java library is mostly derived from GNU Classpath.


> > > Another question, when is Kaffe 1.1.5 coming out?
> >
> > "When it's ready" (TM)
> >
> [snip]
> > Given the amount of stuff I want to do, I wouldn't expect 1.1.5 before
> > January.  But it will be a nice, tested release.  Promise.  :-)
> January will be fine, I was just remebering that we almost had a 1.1.5
> release months ago and was wondering what happened to that effort.  A
> lot has changed since then.

It's good that's agreeable to you ;)  But, yeah, a lot has changed in the
past few months, and a lot will continue to change after 1.1.5 comes out.
Honestly, I wouldn't be waiting 1.1.5 to have a "more stable" Kaffe
release; having numbered versions is more of an aid to distro package
designers than anything else (though I could very well be wrong in that
assumption).  It also gives us a chance to say "it would be nice to have
these features in the next release", as in the case with the regression
tests Jim's putting together.  In my experience--with some exceptions when
I break things ;)--the CVS head is usually what you want to be using.


> What is the typical 'code freeze' period for a kaffe release?

I don't ever remember a specific "typical" code freeze period as some
other projects have.  As Jim suggested by our not publishing Kaffe
development versions on a time schedule, this is really more of a laid
back project than a deadline-driven, stressful thing.


-Rob