On Thu, 08 Apr 1999 09:37:20 -0400, Nathan Kopp <Nat### [at] Koppcom> wrote:
>Ron Parker wrote:
>> 
>> Okay, so I have this binary file with lots of different formats in it.
>> I've just allocated a block of memory and read the appropriate code
>> into it, relocated addresses where necessary, and i'm ready to run it.
>> Now where did I put that library routine that lets me mark a data page
>> (or pages) as executable?  I mean, I know how to do it under WinNT, but
>> that's a Win32 API call.  I'm looking for something cross-platform.
>
>Ok, so there are a lot of issues to be worked out.  But I don't think it
>would be impossible (just difficult maybe).

Agreed.  I still think it's a good idea.

>But if marking the code to be executable is the only non-cross-platform
>thing, then I think that would be acceptable.  Unfortunately, I think
>that there will be more complicated issues.

Probably.  Still, it's an idea that I've tossed around myself.  Well, not
the fat-binary part of it, but the 'dynamic loading on platforms that
don't support it' part.  Maybe when the superpatch is done (ha!) I'll take 
some time to do a proof-of-concept for the platforms I have access to (which 
are unfortunately both X86 platforms, unless you count that poor old junker 
Amiga in the corner, the one that sometimes boots.)  I'd still be interested
in seeing (A) how much code bloat it would really add to integrate Kaffe with
POV, and (B) how much slower a pattern written in Java would be than the 
equivalent pattern patched directly into POV.  Function-based textures in
the isosurface patch aren't too slow, and they're not compiled (unless you
add a DLL.)

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