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by linguae 620 days ago
This is excellent news, and also quite timely! I am working on a side project where I want to build an exokernel, and recently (earlier this week, in fact) I decided to use Pre-Scheme as a base for implementing this exokernel and other low-level libraries that handle functionality such as memory management. Eventually I want to be able to host a language like Common Lisp, or at the bare minimum, something like Self (which can be thought of as Smalltalk without classes; see https://selflanguage.org/) on top of Pre-Scheme. This is all part of explorations of how to build a modern OS inspired by the Lisp and Smalltalk environments of the 1980s but updated to address modern concerns such as security and multi-core processors.
2 comments
sourcepluck 619 days ago
I hope I'm not completely beside the point, but what you describe makes me think of the "malleable systems collective" people who I was reading more about recently:

https://malleable.systems/catalog/

I think there may be some synchronicity between the kinds of things being discussed on the forum section of that site and what you're attempting. Very cool project anyway, I hope it goes well!

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linguae 619 days ago
Yes, this is exactly what I’m interested in, and building malleable systems is exactly why I’m interested in Lisp- and Smalltalk-style systems where metaprogramming and component-based design are infrastructure for enabling malleable software construction. Exokernels are also a nice complement since this aids in the swapping of even low-level OS components, since OS services are implemented as libraries on top of a tiny kernel that only handles hardware multiplexing and protection.
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sourcepluck 618 days ago
If I could nudge you a little further - as I think I'm almost following, but not quite - what's the difference between an exokernel and a vm? I mean, wouldn't you have to write a different exokernel for each architecture, with this set up?

Edit: reading more about exokernels - upon reflection, maybe I can better imagine how this kind of system could be very interesting for experimenting with what you describe. You'd effectively be drawing the boundaries the programs would cover much more broadly, so then maybe they could share more with each other?

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neilv 620 days ago
When I was learning Scheme, I made a very simple Self-ish object model in R5RS, as an exercise: https://www.neilvandyke.org/racket/protobj/

Your project sounds more interesting and challenging.

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