Re: A86: Libraries and Loaders

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Re: A86: Libraries and Loaders

Dan Eble wrote:
> 
> On Mon, 4 Aug 1997, B. Nagel wrote:
> 
> > > What if those things change during the course of execution?  If the
> > > program you run creates a new variable, there's a good chance the memory
> > > will be shifted around and the will write back into the wrong place.
> > > It would be prudent to get look up the program's address again.
> >
> > Now you have a point, if a prog was deleted and another was created it
> > would shift everything.  Okay, I will change that in the next version of
> > AShell.
> >
> > Either way, asm progs with imported functions cant be called with Asm(
> 
> Right, but is it better to have 1 type of program that is incompatible
> with the TI system, or to have many types of programs that are
> incompatible with the TI system and with each other, each requiring its
> own shell and loader?
> 
> 
> > I'll talk to him, he just got an 86 and he's going to port Insane Game
> > :)
> 
> And I'll mail David.  What's Insane Game?  I've heard of it, but never
> played it.  (Reply privately on that one.)
> 
> 
> > > Besides, a program can be executable _and_ export functions at the same
> > > time.  In this case, it would have to start at _asm_exec_ram.
> >
> > I dont like this: a program should only export 1 function.  Suppose we
> > have a library with 10 functions, and between every executable program,
> > only 6 of those functions are used.  We have 4 functions sitting there
> > wasting mem.
> 
> If we design the libraries well, that won't happen.  This is one situation
> in which we can exploit the knowledge of Hock and Ellsworth.

We wont be the only ones making libraries, other people will come in and
care little about design.

Are you familiar with PhatOS (by Martin Hock and someone else)?  It uses
a special var obj to hide strings from the OS.  If we did this with
functions wouldnt appear on any menus.  Its like having one big library
where we could select exactly what functions we want to save space.

Bill
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