bc-abi2: large application handling

[Andrew Haley <aph at redhat dot com>]

Jakob Praher writes:
 > hi,
 > 
 > since I am playing with the new abi a bit, I was wondering, how to deal
 > with big applications. 
 > 
 > Which use cases do you have for compiling big applications to gcj using
 > the new abi?
 > 
 > * is the chaching stuff (at installation time) already functional?

No.

 >   - how can it be triggered?
 > 
 > * what are shared object files / what are executables?

I don't understand this question.

 > in java every class can be mainable, so how do you go for that when
 > compiling so files - is the --main argument still the right method
 > should. 

Shared objects don't have a --main.  You can invoke them with gij,
which you give a class name whose main you wish to invoke.
 
 > How about a generic app stub that is able to load a shared object
 > and call that static main. (so every class file resides inside a
 > so)

gij does that.

 > * what is the way to use large interdependent jar files in compiling:
 > 
 > for instance, given 
 >  - app.jar
 >  - lib1.jar
 >  - lib2.jar
 > 
 > app defining a mainable class as myapp.Main, which depends on lib1.jar
 > and lib2.jar, whats the best way to turn that into gcj form?
 > 
 > when using the idiom
 > 
 > gcj -findirect-dispatch -classpath app.jar:lib1.jar:lib2.jar
 > --main=myapp.Main -o app

gcj -findirect-dispatch -classpath app.jar:lib1.jar:lib2.jar -shared -o app.so

 > with bigger classes, I get an internal compiler error. Is the usage
 > simply wrong, or is that a bug in the compiler?

That would be a bug.  An ICE is always a bug.

 > * is it better to compile the jar files separatly to so files and to
 > link them to app? - if so how is that expressed with gcj

I think so, but not everyone agrees.

Andrew.