Re: [Axiom-developer] Sockets and threads

[Waldek Hebisch]

Gabriel Dos Reis wrote:
> C Y <address@hidden> writes:
> | One question - as I understand it, AXIOMsys works on Windows but the
> | parent program axiom does not.  Would a HyperDoc for Windows also
> | require a new communications mechanism?  Doing this straight from lisp
> | (ala hunchentoot or something similar) would be my preference, but
> | again it's probably not simple.
> 
> I see no fundamental reason why both process should not be threads in
> the same problem and therefore bypass the socket stuff.  From my
> perspective, that is just another over-engineering aspect of Axiom.
> Notice that if you use sockets, the the anti-virus firewall will
> consider Axiom as a program that wants access to network and it might
> be blocked; then the anti-virus will ask you whether you want to grant
> access or not.  That is silly.
> 

There is a good reason to run other processes in separate address
space: Lisp garbage collector.  This places significant restrictions
on possible interface between C and Lisp.  According to Camm Maguire
Gcl has additional problem: C malloc may trigger garbage collection.
So passing unbouded amount of data to C becomes almost impossible
(one can use  GCLspecific method to reqest storage which in not
moved by garbage collection, but that is awkward and hurts
performance).

Other Lisp may also place restrictions on possible behaviour of C
code.  Socket interface seem to be accepted way to interface
general programs with Lisp (and other high level runtimes).

-- 
                              Waldek Hebisch
address@hidden