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diff --git a/community/gsoc/project_ideas/language_bindings.mdwn b/community/gsoc/project_ideas/language_bindings.mdwn deleted file mode 100644 index d9a426be..00000000 --- a/community/gsoc/project_ideas/language_bindings.mdwn +++ /dev/null @@ -1,75 +0,0 @@ -[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Free Software -Foundation, Inc."]] - -[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable -id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this -document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or -any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant -Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license -is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation -License|/fdl]]."]]"""]] - -[[!meta title="Bindings to Other Programming Languages"]] - -<!-- See also open_issues/gccgo, open_issues/gnat, open_issues/perl, and -open_issues/python. --> - -The main idea of the Hurd design is giving users the ability to easily -modify/extend the system's functionality ([[extensible_system|extensibility]]). -This is done by creating [[filesystem_translators|hurd/translator]] and other -kinds of Hurd servers. - -However, in practice this is not as easy as it should, because creating -translators and other servers is quite involved -- the interfaces for doing -that are not exactly simple, and available only for C programs. Being able to -easily create simple translators in RAD languages is highly desirable, to -really be able to reap the [[advantages]] of the Hurd architecture. - -Originally Lisp was meant to be the second system language besides C in the GNU -system; but that doesn't mean we are bound to Lisp. Bindings for any popular -high-level language, that helps quickly creating simple programs, are highly -welcome. - -Several approaches are possible when creating such bindings. One way is simply -to provide wrappers to all the available C libraries ([[hurd/libtrivfs]], [[hurd/libnetfs]] -etc.). While this is easy (it requires relatively little consideration), it may -not be the optimal solution. It is preferable to hook in at a lower level, thus -being able to create interfaces that are specially adapted to make good use of -the features available in the respective language. - -These more specialized bindings could hook in at some of the lower level -library interfaces ([[hurd/libports]], [[hurd/glibc]], etc.); use the -[[microkernel/mach/MIG]]-provided [[microkernel/mach/RPC]] stubs directly; or -even create native stubs directly from the interface definitions. The -[[lisp_bindings_created_by_Flavio_Cruz|flaviocruz]] as his [[2008 GSoC -project|2008]] mostly use the latter approach, and can serve as a good example. -In his [[2011 GSoC project|2011]], Jérémie Koenig designed and began -implementing an object-oriented interface; see his [[Java status -page|user/jkoenig/java]] for details. - -There is another possible reason for preferring lower-level bindings: -Presently, the Hurd server libraries use the cthreads threading library, which -predates the pthread standard prevalent today. There is a -[[pthread library for the Hurd|libpthread]] -as well, but it's not possible to use both cthreads and pthreads in -the same executable. Thus, until -[[porting_the_Hurd_libraries_to_pthreads|community/gsoc/project_ideas/pthreads]] -is finished, implementing bindings for any language that uses pthreads (in the -runtime environment or the actual programs) is only possible when not using the -standard Hurd server libraries at all -- i.e. when binding at MIG stub level or -interface definition level. - -The task is to create easy to use Hurd bindings for a language of the student's -choice, and some example servers to prove that it works well in practice. This -project will require gaining a very good understanding of the various Hurd -interfaces. Skills in designing nice programming interfaces are a must. - -Anatoly A. Kazantsev has started working on [Python -bindings](http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/pyhurd/) last year -- if Python -is your language of choice, you probably should take his work and complete it. - -There was also some previous work on [Perl -bindings](http://www.nongnu.org/hurdextras/#pith), which might serve as a -reference if you want to work on Perl. - -Possible mentors: Anatoly A. Kazantsev (anatoly) for Python |