Kawa and CLOS

[Per Bothner]

Chris Bitmead wrote:
> What is the problem with compiled code only and class loaders? (I've 
> done a lot of work with class loaders).

The problem is that each new class you create must be done using a
class-loader.  Classes that are created dynamically need to use a
special non-default class-loader.  The problems is references from
"interpreted" code creating a class in one class-loader, and then
referencing it from a subsequent piece of "interpreted" code,
which currently uses a separate class-loader.  Using a single
classloader for all generated classes is underdesirable, because you
want to be able to garbage-collect no-longer-needed generated code.

> That restriction sounds annoying 
> enough that I'd rather just use tiny-clos.

It's a fixable problem, and not that difficult - we just need to
manage classes and class-loaders more intelligently.

I'm just started re-organizing some code that should make this
easier.  Maybe soon.

>> See also the make-procedure function. 
> 
> Hmm. No add-procedure?

You presumably mean add-method or something backing up define-method.
Adding a methods to a genertic is easy enough.  Harder is passing along
the needed type information to cleanly select between methods.
-- 
	--Per Bothner
per@bothner.com   http://www.bothner.com/per/