[chrisseaton]

> This compiles C to bytecode which operates on the JVM.

No, it compiles C to an AST, which it then interprets. The AST, which is also the interpreter in the Truffle design, are then partially evaluated to produce machine code. No bytecode is generated at any point, and in fact you can run it on a JVM that doesn't use byteocde, and then there is no bytecode anywhere.

[chaosite]

I learned most of what I know about Truffle and Graal from your blog posts, so you obviously know more about this than me. However, I was under the impression that Truffle is quite closely integrated into GraalVM, that is, you can't use Truffle on a different JVM. Is that not true?

[origin_path]

Not so. Truffle is just a Java library like any other. You can therefore run Truffle languages on any JVM. However, they will run slow as they are just interpreters, then. To get the speedups you need to use Graal, which recognizes Truffle as a library and treats it specially.

[chaosite]

Well, OK, sure, but Truffle without partial evaluation is just an interpreter written in a very particular way...

I see what you mean though, thanks!

[chrisseaton]

> Well, OK, sure, but Truffle without partial evaluation is just an interpreter written in a very particular way..

That's what it was to start with. Partial evaluation came later.

[rschatz]

Truffle and partial evaluation also works on native-image. You could say this is a VM where there are no bytecodes anymore.

[chaosite]

Oh, of course, but native-image is still a Graal feature, and I was asking about Truffle without Graal.

[entropicdrifter]

native-image was created as part of the Graal project but I think it's a separate JVM implementation from GraalVM