[LispM] World Files

[Alfred M. Szmidt]

   For an odd bit of entertainment, I have been attempting to decypher
   world files.  (I have an Ivory/XL1200.) Based on information
   available in i-sys/sysdef.lisp and netboot/world-substrate.lisp I
   have made some progress.  I have, however, hit a wall and am
   looking for some inspiration.

   When the FEP loads and boots a world, it must read the world file
   into memory, build an environment for it and, eventually, vector to
   it.  It appears that the definition of this "environment" is not
   readily obvious from the source code.  It appears, for example,
   that the function QLD is the initial entry point inside the LISP
   world (although how we get to that function is unclear to me).
   Also, the world file describes both wired and un-wired regions of
   memory.  How the unwired page table is communicated to the code
   within the world and where it should be located is equally not
   obvious.

   Has anyone tinkered around at this level, and would be in a
   position to provide some hints?  I am trying to understand the FEP
   -> World protocol.

Ten years later, we get an answer -- but not exactly what you might be
looking for.  Did you get any further in your digging? :-)

Here is a fun document on cold loading:

-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: lambda-cold-load.txt
URL: </archives/lispm/attachments/20140722/5e41abf9/attachment.txt>