rubyx/lib/virtual/machine.rb
2014-07-25 11:48:06 +03:00

62 lines
2.8 KiB
Ruby

module Virtual
# The Virtual Machine is a value based virtual machine in which ruby is implemented. While it is value based,
# it resembles oo in basic ways of object encapsulation and method invokation, it is a "closed" / static sytem
# in that all types are know and there is no dynamic dispatch (so we don't bite our tail here).
#
# It is minimal and realistic and low level
# - minimal means that if one thing can be implemented by another, it is left out. This is quite the opposite from
# ruby, which has several loops, many redundant if forms and the like.
# - realistic means it is easy to implement on a 32 bit machine (arm) and possibly 64 bit. Memory access, a stack,
# some registers of same size are the underlying hardware. (not ie byte machine)
# - low level means it's basic instructions are realively easily implemented in a register machine. ie send is not
# a an instruction but a function.
#
# So the memory model of the machine allows for indexed access into an "object" . A fixed number of objects exist
# (ie garbage collection is reclaming, not destroying and recreating) although there may be a way to increase that number.
#
# The ast is transformed to virtaul-machine objects, some of which represent code, some data.
#
# The next step transforms to the register machine layer, which is what actually executes.
#
# More concretely, a virtual machine is a sort of oo turing machine, it has a current instruction, executes the
# instructions, fetches the next one and so on.
# Off course the instructions are not soo simple, but in oo terms quite so.
#
# The machine is virtual in the sense that it is completely modeled in software,
# it's complete state explicitly available (not implicitly by walking stacks or something)
# The machine has a no register, but local variables, a scope at each point in time.
# Scope changes with calls and blocks, but is saved at each level. In terms of lower level implementation this means
# that the the model is such that what is a variable in ruby, never ends up being just on the pysical stack.
#
class Machine
def initialize
the_end = Halt.new
@message = Message.new(the_end , the_end , :Object)
end
attr_reader :message
# run the instruction stream given. Instructions are a graph and executing means traversing it.
# If there is no next instruction the machine stops
def run instruction
while instruction do
next_instruction = instruction.next
instruction.execute
instruction = next_instruction
end
end
end
end
require_relative "list"
require_relative "instruction"
require_relative "method_definition"
require_relative "frame"
require_relative "message"
require_relative "value"
require_relative "type"
require_relative "object"
require_relative "constants"
require "boot/boot_space"