[LLVMdev] LLVM bytecode simulator/emulator?

[Kenneth Hoste]

John Criswell wrote:

> You can compile library code into LLVM bytecode libraries and link them 
> with gccld.  In general, LLVM provides tools equivalent to most of your 
> compiler tool chain (gccas, gccld, llvm-ar, llvm-nm, etc).  You can, for 
> example, make an archive of LLVM bytecode files.
> 
> The problem, in your case, is that no one has successfully compiled all 
> of libc into LLVM bytecode yet.  Some libc functions are compiled to 
> LLVM bytecode (see llvm/runtime), but many others are not; for those, we 
> link against the native libraries after code generation.
> 
> You can try compiling the parts of libc you need to LLVM bytecode, but 
> be forewarned that it'll be tedious.  C libraries (glibc in particular) 
> seem to be designed to make life difficult for people who want to 
> compile them.

I think to amount of glibc functions I need to support will be limited.

We have some compiler experts in our research group, who will be able to 
help me when I experience serious problems (I think).
I think it's worth a shot, atleast until I can really evaluate if the 
effort is worth it or not.

Besides that, I can probably rely on the expierence of some people on 
this mailinglist? What is the best way to start such an ambitious 
project? Do I just check which external functions are called in the 
bytecode I get, and try to support those functions using LLVM code?

Why has no-one supported printf yet? Is it that hard (I have no idea 
really, I'm only asking)?

greetings, and thanks already for your replies

Kenneth

-- 
Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what 
they conceal is vital (Aaron Levenstein)

Kenneth Hoste
ELIS - Ghent University
kenneth.hoste at elis.ugent.be
http://www.elis.ugent.be/~kehoste