abcl-1.9.1 released

[Mark Evenson]

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                          ABCL 1.9.1 RELEASED

                              Mark Evenson
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Table of Contents
─────────────────

1. abcl-1.9.1
.. 1. News
..... 1. CFFI compatibility
..... 2. (Alan Ruttenberg) Ability to discriminate generic function execution on sub-types of MOP:SPECIALIZER
..... 3. Overhauled relationship to later openjdk threading models
..... 4. (Uthar) Implement array types for JAVA:JNEW-RUNTIME-CLASS
..... 5. (Alejandrozf) Compiler uses of signals to fallback to interpreted form
..... 6. (Alejandrozf) Further fixes to COMPILE-FILE-PATHNAME
..... 7. (Tarn W. Burton) Avoid NIL in simple LOOP from CL:FORMAT directives
..... 8. Broad testing and tweaks across Java Long Term Support (LTS) binaries
2. Fuller details


1 abcl-1.9.1
════════════

  If one has been hesitating about using the latest ABCL because one
  "never uses a dot oh release", we have now sloughed off abcl-1.9.1 for
  your appraisal from the depths of a Bear's long winter nap.  Now one
  can use the somewhat less buggy version of the Tenth Edition of Armed
  Bear Common Lisp, available, as usual, at
  <https://abcl.org/releases/1.9.1/> or via Maven
  <https://search.maven.org/artifact/org.abcl/abcl/1.9.1/jar>.


1.1 News
────────

  N.b. that when running on openjdk17 and later runtimes, there is quite
  a bit of necessary fiddling with command line arguments to "open"
  various modules to the Bear's introspective gaze.  For example, see
  <https://abcl.org/svn/tags/1.9.1/ci/create-abcl-properties.bash> for
  the switches necessary to use CFFI to successfully run the CL+SSL test
  suite.

  As a reward for your patience, we mention the following notable
  improvements:


1.1.1 CFFI compatibility
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  We improved the compiler to use wide indices for stack frame locals
  for the ALOAD, ASTORE, ILOAD, ISTORE, LLOAD, and LSTORE opcodes, which
  among other goodness, allows CFFI-TESTS to compile again.  In
  addition, we have updated the jar artifact used by CFFI to jna-5.12.1
  which includes support for native linkage on the Apple Silicon and
  other exotic architectures.


1.1.2 (Alan Ruttenberg) Ability to discriminate generic function execution on sub-types of MOP:SPECIALIZER
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  Following SBCL, CCL, and ECL, the Bear now accepts subtypes of
  MOP:SPECIALIZER as a generic function discriminator.


1.1.3 Overhauled relationship to later openjdk threading models
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  Going back to the future of the original green thread models, recent
  openjdk releases have started offering lightweight threading
  implementations.  For the Bear, the ability to spawn virtual threads
  is indicated by the presence of :VIRTUAL-THREADS in CL:*FEATURES*.
  Setting the special THREADS:*THREADING-MODEL* to :VIRTUAL results in
  THREADS:MAKE-THREADS spawning virtual threads.  On some openjdks one
  may have to pass a command-line switch the JVM to enable virtual
  threading.


1.1.4 (Uthar) Implement array types for JAVA:JNEW-RUNTIME-CLASS
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  Support for creating synthetic Java classes at runtime via
  JAVA:JNEW-RUNTIME-CLASS has been improved by introducing machinery for
  dealing with array types.


1.1.5 (Alejandrozf) Compiler uses of signals to fallback to interpreted form
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  We fall back to use an interpreted form for compilation results larger
  than 65535 bytes, which fixes the loading of the FirCAS computer
  algebra system.


1.1.6 (Alejandrozf) Further fixes to COMPILE-FILE-PATHNAME
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  We have restored the ability to compile Maxima by hopefully untangling
  the last kinks in the reworking of our COMPILE-FILE-PATHNAME logic.


1.1.7 (Tarn W. Burton) Avoid NIL in simple LOOP from CL:FORMAT directives
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  Simplify simple CL:LOOP requires only compound forms, in the place
  where returning NIL is neither permitted nor desired.


1.1.8 Broad testing and tweaks across Java Long Term Support (LTS) binaries
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  We have extensively tested against recent openjdk8, openjdk11,
  openjdk17, and openjdk19 binaries.  Unfortunately, for openjdk17+
  runtimes one needs to pass additional runtime command line switches to
  the hosting JVM which "open" Java modules to reflective actions.


2 Fuller details
════════════════

  More details can be found in
  <https://abcl.org/svn/tags/1.9.1/CHANGES>.

  Enjoy, and please CONS responsibly…

-- 
"A screaming comes across the sky.  It has happened before but there is nothing 
to compare to it now."