Aegis VM Features Map

This file documents the JVM features available in this release
of Aegis VM.  It also contains a list of features planned but not yet 
implemented. This file is best viewed in emacs outline mode.

* Custom Features

** Pluggable Verification Modules
** Pluggable Obligation Libraries

* VM Internal

** Implemented VM features

*** class definition, preparation, resolution, initialization
*** support for boolean, byte, char, short, int, long, float, double, objects
*** support for arrays, strings and wrapper objects for primitive types
*** exception handling and stack tracing
*** garbage collection
*** user-defined classloader and class unloading
*** dynamic loading of native libraries
*** JNI support
*** access control
*** loading constraints
*** reflection
*** bytecode verification

** Planned VM features

*** support for jar/zip archives
*** threading
*** security framework
*** weak references
*** object finalization

* Bytecode

  Support for all bytecode instructions implemented except for monitorenter
  and monitorexit.  Currently, the VM will only pop the reference operand
  of monitorenter and monitorexit without actually performing any
  synchronizing it.  Therefore, single-threaded Java applications should
  have no problem with this setup.

* JNI

  We aim to strive first for JNI 1.2 compliance.  Currently, jni.h
  only provides C support but not C++ support.

** Implemented JNI functions

*** JNI_CreateJavaVM (no support for standard options & 1.1 style vm_args)

*** DestroyJavaVM

*** FindClass
*** GetSuperclass
*** IsAssignableFrom

*** Throw
*** ThrowNew
*** ExceptionOccurred
*** ExceptionCheck
*** ExceptionDescribe
*** ExceptionClear
*** ExceptionOccurred
*** ExceptionDescribe

*** DeleteLocalRef
*** NewLocalRef
*** EnsureLocalCapacity
*** PushLocalFrame
*** PopLocalFrame

*** AllocObject
*** NewObject/V
*** GetObjectClass
*** IsInstanceOf
*** IsSameObject

*** GetStaticFieldID
*** GetStatic(Type)Field
*** SetStatic(Type)Field
*** GetFieldID
*** Get(Type)Field
*** Set(Type)Field

*** GetStaticMethodID
*** CallStatic(Type)Method/V/A
*** CallStatic(Type)Method/V/A

*** GetMethodID
*** Call(Type)Method/V/A
*** CallNonvirtual(Type)Method/V/A

*** GetArrayLength
*** NewObjectArray
*** SetObjectArrayElement

*** NewStringUTF
*** GetStringUTFLength
*** GetStringUTFChars
*** ReleaseStringUTFChars

*** RegisterNatives
*** UnregisterNatives

*** GetJavaVM

*** Get(Type)ArrayElements
*** Release(Type)ArrayElements

*** JNI_OnLoad
*** JNI_OnUnload

** Planned JNI functions

*** JNI_CreateJavaVM (support for standard options & 1.1 style vm_args)
*** JNI_GetDefaultJavaVMInitArgs
*** JNI_GetCreatedJavaVMs

*** AttachCurrentThread
*** DetachCurrentThread
*** GetEnv

*** GetVersion

*** DefineClass

*** FatalError

*** NewGlobalRef
*** DeleteGlobalRef
*** NewWeakGlobalRef
*** DeleteWeakGlobalRef

*** NewObjectA

*** NewString
*** GetStringLength
*** GetStringChars
*** ReleaseStringChars
*** GetStringCritical
*** ReleaseStringCritical
*** GetStringRegion
*** GetStringUTFRegion

*** New(Type)Array
*** GetObjectArrayElement
*** Get(Type)ArrayRegion
*** Set(Type)ArrayRegion
*** GetPrimitiveArrayCritical
*** ReleasePrimitiveArrayCritical

*** MonitorEnter
*** MonitorExit

*** FromReflectedField
*** FromReflectedMethod
*** ToReflectedField
*** ToReflectedMethod

* Class Library

  We plan to strive first for J2SE 1.3 compliance.

  The Aegis VM will not supply a full implementation of the standard
  Java platform class library.  Instead, we will make use of third-
  party class libraries.  Currently, the Aegis VM interoperates with
  the GNU Classpath class library.

  Some classes in the Java platform class library requires support from
  the VM.  These "built-in" classes come from java.lang, java.lang.ref,
  and java.lang.reflect.  Examples include java.lang.Object, java.lang.Class,
  and java.lang.ClassLoader.  The Aegis VM will need to supply
  implementation for these classes.  However, classes from within the
  same packages are usually not completely encapsulated from each other.
  Therefore, if we are to remain neutural to the choice of third-party
  class library, we will have to implement all classes from that packages
  that contain built-in classes.  That is to say, we will supply all
  classes from java.lang, java.lang.ref, and java.lang.reflect.

** java.lang

*** Fully 1.3 compliant classes

**** All exception and error classes
**** All interfaces
**** Boolean
**** Byte
**** Character.Subset
**** Character.UnicodeBlock
**** Compiler
**** Integer
**** Long
**** Math
**** Number
**** Process
**** RuntimePermission
**** Short
**** String
**** StringBuffer
**** Throwable
**** Void

*** Almost 1.3 compliant

**** Character

    The following methods only handle ASCII input: toLowerCase, toUpperCase,
    toTitleCase, digit.  The following function is not implemented yet:
    getNumericValue.

**** Double

    Conversion between Double and String is still not robust.

**** Float

    Conversion between Float and String is still not robust.

*** Partly functional

**** Object

     Missing the notify and wait methods

**** Runtime

     Missing exit(), addShutdownHook(Thread), removeShutdownHook(),
     halt(), the 6 exec methods, freeMemory(), totalMemory(),
     runFinalization().

**** SecurityManager

     It always grant access.

**** StrictMath

     Delegates to Math.

**** System

     Missing setIn, setOut, setErr, exit, runFinalization.

*** Pure stubs

**** InheritableThreadLocal
**** Package
**** SecurityManager
**** Thread
**** ThreadLocal

** java.lang.ref

   Empty stubs.

** java.lang.reflect

   Almost 1.3 compliant, except for the missing Proxy class and 
   accessibility checks.