towards a dsal for object layout in virtual machines
High-level language virtual machine implementations offer a challenging domain for modularization, not only because they are inherently complex, but also because efficiency is not likely to be traded for modularity. The central data structure used throughout the VM, the object layout, cannot be succinctly modularised by current aspect technology, as provisions for static crosscutting are not fine-grained enough. This position paper motivates the need for a declarative, domain-specific language for handling the tangled object layout concern. Based on observations in real-world VM implementations, we propose such a language, D4OL. It combines a two-level layout mapping, constraints and an engine to divide responsibilities between VM component and VM developers. We consider a domain-specific language like D4OL a necessary complement to behavioural aspect languages in order to modularize VM implementations.
object layout virtual machine domain-specific aspect language