Feature: Compile to a custom bytecode VM #17

New Issue

j · 2024-07-31T08:57:21Z

j commented

2024-07-31 08:57:21 +00:00

Feature Progress

Define a minimal instruction set
Progressively lower Conlang code into that instruction set, emulating features where necessary
Decide on calling convention (Lua's calling convention looks nice!)
Decide how to layout data structures
LValue and RValue expressions?
References/pointers?
- Reading
- Writing
Implement struct/tuple field accesses
- Reading
- Writing
Implement array indexing
- Reading
- Writing
Implement closures
- Upvar analysis (What names are being captured?)
- Capture variables (By value?)
- Do closures get automatically heap allocated?
  - NO! PLEASE NO!

Feature description

Currently, the AST interpreter has to follow dozens of pointer indirections just to execute a single operation. Having a language VM will allow Conlang to run considerably faster, assuming the eventual implementation doesn't thrash the heap or cache too badly.

Might be fun to model the VM off a real RISC architecture.

Example

fn returns_10 () {
    10
}

returns_10:
   mov     r15, $10
   ret

# Feature Progress  - [ ] Define a minimal instruction set - [ ] Progressively lower Conlang code into that instruction set, emulating features where necessary - [ ] Decide on calling convention (Lua's calling convention looks nice!) - [ ] Decide how to layout data structures - [ ] LValue and RValue expressions? - [ ] References/pointers? - [ ] Reading - [ ] Writing - [ ] Implement struct/tuple field accesses - [ ] Reading - [ ] Writing - [ ] Implement array indexing - [ ] Reading - [ ] Writing - [ ] Implement closures - [ ] Upvar analysis (What names are being captured?) - [ ] Capture variables (By value?) - [x] Do closures get automatically heap allocated? - [x] NO! PLEASE NO! # Feature description  Currently, the AST interpreter has to follow dozens of pointer indirections just to execute a single operation. Having a language VM will allow Conlang to run considerably faster, assuming the eventual implementation doesn't thrash the heap or cache too badly. Might be fun to model the VM off a real RISC architecture. # Example  ```rust fn returns_10 () { 10 } ``` ```asm returns_10: mov r15, $10 ret ```

j added the

enhancement

label 2024-07-31 08:57:21 +00:00

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