Tunes activity

[Francois-Rene Rideau]

Ahem. The list seems quite quiet lately.
However, it's not work that lacks:
here are *plenty* of works that we *do need*

Here are things you can do

* Help Chris designing his UI.
  I propose we use a HP28/48 like visible stack as a standard interface !

* Relaunch talks about the LLL
  I suggest we use our own FORTH dialect as a LLL.
  Why not start with the ANS FORTH specifications, or Postscript,
  then modify it when we find the semantics do not fit the project ?
  Particularly, the parsing system should be redesigned and modularized:
  The HLL could *really* be "but" a self-extension of the LLL !!!
  We should also review existing packages/OSes to find which to use for
  the i386 and OTOP implementations.

* We really could begin LLL experimentation *now*.
  Begin coding the GC in LLL.
  Begin implementing the LLL in asm using techniques like eForth,
  that we can refine later.
  And already begin coding the i386 assembly stuff (let's choose the
  assembler package !)
  Why wait for the HLL ? Everything is ok, as soon as we write it in
  a modular way, and are ready to modify it to fit further requirements.

* Open a subproject about object migration.
  Migration encompasses scheduling, swapping, automatic (de)compression,
  distribution, dynamic semantic enhancements/restrictions, etc.
  This really should be a subproject of its own.
  I've not had time to study how other systems do schedule such things
  (but for systems that do it trivially or statically), particularly
  distributed systems.
  Could someone study these ? Feeback from the distributed algorithm
  page, TAOS or the SONY stuff would be welcome...

* Reviewing existing languages and existing systems on top of which to
  implement Tunes, and what techniques are involved.
  Sending (positive & negative) critics about Tunes, and about other projects
  that you may find in the "Related Works" page, or the "Review" page under
  the HLL subproject (should be put elsewhere).
  Reviewing other projects and comparing to be up to date
  could be a subproject of its own !

* Helping me designing the HLL syntax will be real help.
  I haven't found any feedback yet about the HLL subproject.
  Yet I'm very open-minded (do I boast at least),
  and the subject is not that hard (any language guru out there ? :)
  but is critical enough so that any misdesign is catastrophical
  which is why a one man's opinion is no enough.
  Really help me !
  I also need help writing examples; a list of examples to write is available;
  extend it and/or send me your own version of the examples...

* Review and study of efficient implementation tricks for GCed
  active (or passive) annotations is sought.

* Writing actual internetworking software to ease the project communication
  may be useful, or even providing tools for us: talk or irc chatting
  with session log to review and share the discussion with other people;
  presence daemons to warn when each-other are logged in; automatic mail
  handlers to auto-send patches, and auto-apply them; automatic tools
  to manage changelogs, etc; even standard WWW viewers so we all read/write
  that stuff at our home with emacs or whatever.

* If all that's not enough, project members can still review any project
  they know, interview people they find on the net or in physical world,
  who may give advice or point to fine stuff, or help even !


   Really, there's lot of work to do. Don't feel powerless, don't be idle,
don't feel overcome by the immensity of task:
   What counts is to *contribute*, even a very little.
We've setup a work frame for contributions.
It's the sum of tiny contributions that makes a big project.
And the work frame is flexible; if there's a flaw, we'll dynamically correct.
Please *do* contribute, even by just reviewing existing projects.
   Drafts are welcome; telegraphic style is welcome; pointers are welcome;
broken english is welcome; patches are welcome; mail is welcome; comments
about misdesigned WWW pages are welcome. Sources for your own toy
OS/language/whatever are welcome (share them with the ftp repository;
send them in incoming/ and mail me).

--    ,        	                                ,           _ v    ~  ^  --
-- Fare -- rideau@clipper.ens.fr -- Francois-Rene Rideau -- +)ang-Vu Ban --
--                                      '                   / .          --
Join the TUNES project for a computing system based on computing freedom !
		   TUNES is a Useful, Not Expedient System
		http://acacia.ens.fr:8080/home/rideau/Tunes/