Re: java.io.File and its native methods

[Etienne Gagnon]

Mark Wielaard wrote:
> .... Starting your review with "This makes no
> sense whatsoever" and then not giving any suggestion what you would like
> to see changed or how isn't helpful.

This is false.  I did provide a clear indication of the solution.  I cite
the relevant part of my message:

---- Begin -----
This makes no sense whatsoever.  File is NOT VM-specific in any way.

VM*.java should be reserved for the VM interface only.
----- END -----

Up to recently[1], it was quite clear to Classpath developers that the
VM interface was made up mostly of those native calls that should be implemented
in the VM.  In this context, my message was quite clear, and self
explanatory about the solution: reserve VM*.java to the VM interface only.

Of course there is no "unique" definition for exactly what should
constitute the VM interface (e.g. where to draw the line), but
java.io.File does not seem, at first sight (nor at second sight), to be
part of the VM interface, specially that a JNI implemetation is provided
for all of its native methods.


OK.  I have better way to spend my time than defending against false
accusations.  You do whatever you choose.  At least, now you'll take your
design decisions knowing about the possible distinction that you could keep
between VM and native interface (which would probably help maintaining
documents such as the VM integration guide).  So, at least my intervention
will have achieved its goal of informing you of the deep departure, in the
initial patch, from the traditional semantics of VM interface.

[1] I didn't know that the semantics of "native interface" changed to "VM
interface" lately.  It must probably have happened just before I sent my
email [sic].  The VM integration guide[1] does not seem to assimilate the
whole native interface to the VM interface.

[2] See Section 3, more precisely.  I don't see Java.io.File, nor the like
    there.


--
Etienne M. Gagnon, Ph.D.             http://www.info.uqam.ca/~egagnon/
SableVM:                                       http://www.sablevm.org/
SableCC:                                       http://www.sablecc.org/