64 bit migration (was [Vm-dev] 64bit squeak VM to run 32bit images? Catalina)

Moving from vm-dev to squeak-dev list, see related "64 bit migration" discussion.

Dave

----- Forwarded message from "David T. Lewis" <[hidden email]> -----

Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 20:49:39 -0400
From: "David T. Lewis" <[hidden email]>
To: John M McIntosh <[hidden email]>, Open Smalltalk Virtual Machine Development Discussion <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Vm-dev] 64bit squeak VM to run 32bit images?  Catalina
 
Hi John,

On Thu, Oct 17, 2019 at 09:56:16PM +0000, John M McIntosh wrote:
>  
> Does anyone have a build for making a 64bit squeak VM that runs 32bit images?
> I have one from July 8th 2010.
> Was there any created over the years since? Say pre-cog etc?
> People are migrating to Catalina and discovering they can't access their old images.
>

See attached screen image.

So yes, a 64-bit VM that runs 32-bit images is still available, and
I use it on a daily basis.

But two caveats:

1) You have to compile it yourself from squeakvm.org sources.

2) I use Linux, and nobody has been maintaining OS X or Windows
for the interpreter VM.

The traditional interpreter VM has problems on OS X nowadays. The
Quartz VM display module does not build (the X11 display module is
fine). And the VM "works" but crashes quickly as soon as you do
something real with it. It looks to me like issues related to
the llvm compiler (versus gcc). The updates by Nicolas and others
in the oscog branch would probably address these issues, but I am
not in a position to confirm.

At the present time, older images are supported by either the
SqueakJS VM, or by the traditional interpreter VM on Linux.

Dave
 
----- End forwarded message -----