204 lines
5.0 KiB
Markdown
204 lines
5.0 KiB
Markdown
# Paper C: Detailed Outline
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## Title
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"Everything is Box, Everything is Message: A Unified Minimalist VM Architecture"
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## Abstract (150-200 words)
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- Problem: Modern VMs suffer from instruction bloat and complex optimization paths
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- Solution: MIR13 (13 instructions) + BoxCall unification (no Load/Store)
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- Key insight: "One representation, two executions"
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- Results: Equivalent performance with 75% less complexity
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- Impact: New paradigm for language implementation
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## 1. Introduction (2 pages)
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### 1.1 The Complexity Crisis
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- Modern VMs: 100+ instructions, multiple optimization paths
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- Maintenance burden, bug surface, learning curve
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- Example: JVM bytecode (200+), LLVM IR (60+)
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### 1.2 Our Vision
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- Everything is Box: Unified data model
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- Everything is Message: Unified operation model
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- 13 instructions to rule them all
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### 1.3 Contributions
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1. MIR13: Minimal IR with 13 instructions
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2. BoxCall unification: Load/Store elimination
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3. Two-execution model: Message vs Direct
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4. AI-collaborative development methodology
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5. Complete implementation in Nyash
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## 2. Background and Motivation (1.5 pages)
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### 2.1 Historical Context
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- Smalltalk's message passing
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- Self's optimizations
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- Modern VM evolution
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### 2.2 The Load/Store Problem
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- Why every VM has Load/Store
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- Hidden complexity in variable access
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- Optimization barriers
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### 2.3 The Instruction Bloat Problem
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- Case study: Real VM instruction sets
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- Redundancy analysis
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- Maintenance costs
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## 3. The Unified Architecture (3 pages)
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### 3.1 MIR13 Core Instructions
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```
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Value/Computation: Const, BinOp, Compare
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Control Flow: Jump, Branch, Return, Phi
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Calls: Call, BoxCall, ExternCall
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Meta: TypeOp, Safepoint, Barrier
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```
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### 3.2 BoxCall Unification
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- Everything is a receiver + selector
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- Variables as Boxes
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- Arrays as Boxes
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- Functions as Boxes
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### 3.3 The Magic: Two-Execution Model
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```
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Representation Layer: BoxCall %x, "get"
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Optimization Layer: if(non-escaping) → Register
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else → Message dispatch
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Execution Layer: mov eax, [reg] or call
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```
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### 3.4 Design Principles
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- Principle 1: Unify first, optimize later
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- Principle 2: Make the common case fast
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- Principle 3: Keep the door open for extensions
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## 4. Implementation (3 pages)
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### 4.1 Architecture Overview
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- Parser → AST → MIR13 → Optimizer → Backend
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- Three backends: Interpreter, VM, LLVM
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### 4.2 The Lowering Pipeline
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```
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Phase 1: Escape Analysis
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Phase 2: Type Specialization
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Phase 3: Register Allocation
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Phase 4: Code Generation
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```
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### 4.3 Optimization Strategies
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- Scalar replacement of Boxes
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- Bounds check elimination
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- Polymorphic inline caches
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- Profile-guided optimization
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### 4.4 Implementation Challenges
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- Bootstrap problem
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- Debugging complexity
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- Performance regression prevention
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## 5. AI-Collaborative Development (1.5 pages)
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### 5.1 The Three-AI Architecture
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- Claude: Design and integration
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- ChatGPT: Parallel refactoring
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- Gemini: Architecture consultation
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### 5.2 Parallel Refactoring Methodology
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```
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1. Generate N refactoring proposals in parallel
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2. Validate each independently
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3. Merge non-conflicting changes
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4. Iterate on conflicts
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```
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### 5.3 Lessons Learned
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- AI strengths and weaknesses
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- Human-AI collaboration patterns
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- Productivity metrics
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## 6. Evaluation (3 pages)
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### 6.1 Experimental Setup
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- Hardware: AMD Ryzen 9, 32GB RAM
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- Benchmarks: Scalar loops, Array operations, Object manipulation
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- Baselines: Python, Ruby, JavaScript V8
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### 6.2 Performance Results
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#### 6.2.1 Scalar Variable Performance
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- Direct scalar: 1.2ns/operation
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- Indirect (array[0]): 15ns/operation
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- Optimization effectiveness: 92%
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#### 6.2.2 Array Operations
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- Sequential access: 0.8ns/element
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- Random access: 3.2ns/element
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- Bounds check elimination: 78% of cases
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#### 6.2.3 Object Operations
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- Monomorphic calls: 2.1ns
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- Polymorphic (2-4 types): 4.5ns
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- Megamorphic: 12ns
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### 6.3 Compilation Performance
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- Parse time: -20% (simpler grammar)
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- MIR generation: -35% (fewer instructions)
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- Optimization time: +10% (more analysis)
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- Overall: -15% compilation time
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### 6.4 Memory Usage
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- MIR size: -60% (fewer instruction types)
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- Runtime memory: -25% (unified structures)
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- Cache efficiency: +30% (better locality)
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## 7. Related Work (1 page)
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### 7.1 Minimalist VMs
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- dis VM, Lua VM
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- Comparison with MIR13
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### 7.2 Message-Passing Systems
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- Smalltalk, Objective-C, Ruby
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- Our advantages
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### 7.3 Modern VM Designs
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- JVM, CLR, V8
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- Complexity comparison
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## 8. Discussion (1 page)
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### 8.1 Limitations
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- Bootstrap complexity
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- Debugging challenges
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- Learning curve
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### 8.2 Future Work
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- Hardware acceleration
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- Distributed execution
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- Formal verification
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### 8.3 Broader Impact
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- Language design implications
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- Teaching benefits
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- Research directions
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## 9. Conclusion (0.5 pages)
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- Summary of contributions
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- Key takeaways
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- Vision for the future
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## References (2 pages)
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- 30-40 key references
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- Historical and modern works
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- Related minimalist approaches
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## Appendices
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### A. Complete MIR13 Specification
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### B. BoxCall Lowering Rules
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### C. Benchmark Source Code
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### D. AI Collaboration Logs |