[virtmach] Query about virtual machines with hardware-level abstractions/support

[James Powell]

John Morrison writes:
 > Hi All;
 > 
 > The Short Version:
 > 
 > Can anybody point me at information, specifications, or
 > implementations for virtual machines that enable OS-level programs to
 > be written/run?

I think that the Mach microkernel at least partially solves this
problem.  

It isn't really a virtual machine as Mach has no instruction set, only
a C API.

However, it does supply many of the same services that the JVM offers
to Java programmers; threads, virtual memory, memory protection, file
systems, network protocols, and device support.

A JVM that is implemented as a Mach server with JNI calls into the
Mach API could have the features you are looking for.

  James

--
James Powell - Software Engineer/Reverse Engineering  -   james@advancedsw.com
               Advanced Software Technologies, Inc.
            "Best Tools.  Best Service.  No Compromise."