Pharo 90 is continuing to follow its roadmap and it will be another version a massive amount of 
improvements. We will mention them in the Pharo 90 announce but we can cite a few: Spec2, new tools, new debugger framework,
better parser, general speedup, new optimisations, full block and clean block closures, support for large images, new fluid class syntax, ...

The  key and important advance is that the VM roadmap is delivering. We have been working on the implementation of a MIT-licensed ARMv8
Just-In-Time compiler for  Pharo VM. We are  very happy with the  advance on this subject, as  we have not only implemented a new backend but we 
added more than 2500 tests  to the JIT, the primitives, code generation, plugins and the VM in general. In the process we fixed many problems. 
We are currently fixing ephemerons since they never really worked in Pharo. We are stressing the infrastructure with more than 50000 
ephemerons. Also, we are improving and cleaning up the primitive invocation scheme to fix heap corruption issues, and fixing many open issues in the VM. 
Finally, we are working a lot to have a reproducible build in all the platforms and easing the path to VM development, 
we are still far from our objective but the improvements are starting to show.

Dear happy Pharoers, First we wish you a good 2021 year. We really hope that we will get out of this situation. On the Pharo side we have excellent news. Pharo 90 is continuing to follow its roadmap and it will be another version a massive amount of improvements. We will mention them in the Pharo 90 announce but we can cite a few: Spec2, new tools, new debugger framework, better parser, general speedup, new optimisations, full block and clean block closures, support for large images, new fluid class syntax, ... The key and important advance is that the VM roadmap is delivering. We have been working on the implementation of a MIT-licensed ARMv8 Just-In-Time compiler for Pharo VM. We are very happy with the advance on this subject, as we have not only implemented a new backend but we added more than 2500 tests to the JIT, the primitives, code generation, plugins and the VM in general. In the process we fixed many problems. We are currently fixing ephemerons since they never really worked in Pharo. We are stressing the infrastructure with more than 50000 ephemerons. Also, we are improving and cleaning up the primitive invocation scheme to fix heap corruption issues, and fixing many open issues in the VM. Finally, we are working a lot to have a reproducible build in all the platforms and easing the path to VM development, we are still far from our objective but the improvements are starting to show. We are happy that following the roadmap that was decided during General assembly of PharoDays is successful. We have been investing in the Pharo VM and that our efforts are greatly paying off. This is the current status around the VM - We implemented a full backend for the JIT compiler targeting ARMv8 (AARCH64) - We launched the beta version for Windows, Linux and raspberry of the new 64 JIT ARM. - We are waiting to receive a new mac machine to be able to test our new JIT on it. - All the image side was adapted to run on it, tested on Ubuntu ARM 64 bits and Windows ARM. - We have support for all third party libraries in these platforms: Iceberg (Libgit) / Athens (Cairo) / SDL / GTK. - We implemented a LibFFI-based FFI backend as the default one for Pharo 9 in aarch64 (It is also present in other platforms, keeping the existing one as fallback, e.g. used when the VM is not the latest). - We revisited the complete compilation chain on Windows to use CMake and avoid Cigwin dependency. - We are starting to use OBS to build for multiple Unix and Linux distributions (Debian-like is Done, More distributios to come). - Many bugs on the VM have been fixed, for all these bugs tests have been written to detect regressions and to to document the solution. - We are always performing clean-ups of the VM base code: removing dead-code and experiments from the main branch. All removed code is kept in the history and it is accessible to revisit or to improve to the level that is required to be integrated (e.g., Newspeak Support, Lowcode) - We improved the implementation of Windows Network primitives, and we have done a clean-up of the event handling code allowing an IDLE VM. - We are starting to improve the JIT compiler. We are applying some approaches developed in modern compiler such as bloc representation. - We are working in statistics collection to characterize the behavior of different components of the VM. - We are planning to generate a set of benchmarks that correctly represents the workload of applications using the VM (e.g, Web Server, Interactive Applications, FFI intensive applications). It means that in the near future we expect to be able to improve even more our VM applying a scientific approach: measure, assess, improve. - We expect that for Pharo 10, we will continue to clean the VM code and be more agile. - We will able to look again at Sista. All these steps show that we are in much better situation. We drastically reduce the truck factor around the VM. It particularly means that the consortium now does not depend of the good will and knowledge of other people. We want to thank every member of the consortium. Now we have a particular thank to Lifeware that renewed their contract and Schmidt Buro for their original contract. A last word — do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help you growing your business. S. Ducasse on the behalf of the Pharo consortium -------------------------------------------- Stéphane Ducasse http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr <http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr/> / http://www.pharo.org <http://www.pharo.org/> 03 59 35 87 52 Assistant: Aurore Dalle FAX 03 59 57 78 50 TEL 03 59 35 86 16 S. Ducasse - Inria 40, avenue Halley, Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne, Bât.A, Park Plaza Villeneuve d'Ascq 59650 France -------------------------------------------- Stéphane Ducasse http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr / http://www.pharo.org 03 59 35 87 52 Assistant: Aurore Dalle FAX 03 59 57 78 50 TEL 03 59 35 86 16 S. Ducasse - Inria 40, avenue Halley, Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne, Bât.A, Park Plaza Villeneuve d'Ascq 59650 France

Congratulation. This is impressive how much was done. Happy New Year 2021 Le 25/01/2021 à 12:26, Stéphane Ducasse a écrit : > Dear happy Pharoers, > > First we wish you a good 2021 year. We really hope that we will get > out of this situation. > > On the Pharo side we have excellent news. > -- Dr. Geo http://drgeo.eu http://blog.drgeo.eu

Thanks Hilaire good health And this is the beginning :) we are making sure that we can move in the future for real :). But first we should release P9 - with a better Spec, better debugger and debugging architecture, better iceberg, better refactorings, better error reporting, better completion framework and less fat :) because we are really concerned about it and a massive amount of cleanups. Esteban is working on making sure that we can unload GT and have better replacement :) because GT tools did a good job and now that can rest. We should start stabilizing the version. What is really strange is that I always think that the new version is much better (especially when I see the amount of fixes and improvements so this is not that I’m dreaming). So I hope it will continue. S > On 25 Jan 2021, at 19:14, Hilaire <hilaire@drgeo.eu> wrote: > > Congratulation. This is impressive how much was done. > > Happy New Year 2021 > > Le 25/01/2021 à 12:26, Stéphane Ducasse a écrit : >> Dear happy Pharoers, >> >> First we wish you a good 2021 year. We really hope that we will get out of this situation. >> >> On the Pharo side we have excellent news. >> > -- > Dr. Geo > http://drgeo.eu > http://blog.drgeo.eu > -------------------------------------------- Stéphane Ducasse http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr / http://www.pharo.org 03 59 35 87 52 Assistant: Aurore Dalle FAX 03 59 57 78 50 TEL 03 59 35 86 16 S. Ducasse - Inria 40, avenue Halley, Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne, Bât.A, Park Plaza Villeneuve d'Ascq 59650 France

Congratulations! It makes me happy and proud to be part of this community in the big efforts like this one and in the small interactions, like answers and good wishes in mail and cha. Seems a good call for rewriting Grafoscopio's UI from scratch in Spec2, as now I have a better grasp of Pharo and first code writing, while learning to code, while making the PhD, while making the internship, was like a crazy party code writing methodology. Cheers, Offray On 25/01/21 6:26 a. m., Stéphane Ducasse wrote: > Dear happy Pharoers, > > First we wish you a good 2021 year. We really hope that we will get > out of this situation. > > On the Pharo side we have excellent news.  > > Pharo 90 is continuing to follow its roadmap and it will be another > version a massive amount of  > improvements. We will mention them in the Pharo 90 announce but we can > cite a few: Spec2, new tools, new debugger framework, > better parser, general speedup, new optimisations, full block and > clean block closures, support for large images, new fluid class > syntax, ... > > The  key and important advance is that the VM roadmap is delivering. > We have been working on the implementation of a MIT-licensed ARMv8 > Just-In-Time compiler for  Pharo VM. We are  very happy with the >  advance on this subject, as  we have not only implemented a new > backend but we  > added more than 2500 tests  to the JIT, the primitives, code > generation, plugins and the VM in general. In the process we fixed > many problems.  > We are currently fixing ephemerons since they never really worked in > Pharo. We are stressing the infrastructure with more than 50000  > ephemerons. Also, we are improving and cleaning up the primitive > invocation scheme to fix heap corruption issues, and fixing many open > issues in the VM.  > Finally, we are working a lot to have a reproducible build in all the > platforms and easing the path to VM development,  > we are still far from our objective but the improvements are starting > to show. > > We are happy that following the roadmap that was decided during > General assembly  of PharoDays is successful. > We have been investing in the Pharo VM and that our efforts are > greatly paying off. > > This is the current status around the VM > - We implemented a full backend for the JIT compiler targeting  ARMv8 > (AARCH64) > - We launched the beta version for Windows, Linux and raspberry of the > new 64 JIT ARM. > - We are waiting to receive a new mac machine to be able to test our > new JIT on it. > - All the image side was adapted to run on it, tested on Ubuntu ARM 64 > bits and Windows ARM. > - We have support for all third party libraries in these platforms: > Iceberg (Libgit) / Athens (Cairo) / SDL / GTK. > - We implemented a LibFFI-based FFI backend as the default one for > Pharo 9 in aarch64 (It is also present in other platforms, keeping the > existing one as fallback, e.g. used when the VM is not the latest). > - We revisited the complete compilation chain on Windows to use CMake > and avoid Cigwin dependency. > - We are starting to use OBS to build for multiple Unix and Linux > distributions (Debian-like is Done, More distributios to come).  > - Many bugs on the VM have been fixed, for all these bugs tests have > been written to detect regressions and to to document the solution. > - We are always performing clean-ups of the VM base code: removing > dead-code and experiments from the main branch. All removed code is > kept in the history and it is accessible to revisit or to improve to > the level that is required to be integrated (e.g., Newspeak Support, > Lowcode) > - We improved the implementation of Windows Network primitives, and we > have done a clean-up of the event handling code allowing an IDLE VM. > - We are starting to improve the JIT compiler. We are applying some > approaches developed in modern compiler such as bloc representation. > - We are working in statistics collection to characterize the behavior > of different components of the VM. > - We are planning to generate a set of benchmarks that correctly > represents the workload of applications using the VM (e.g, Web Server, > Interactive Applications, FFI intensive applications). > > It means that in the near future we expect to be able to improve even > more our VM applying a scientific approach: measure, assess, improve. > - We expect that for Pharo 10, we will continue to clean the VM code > and be more agile. > - We will able to look again at Sista. > All these steps show that we are in much better situation. We > drastically reduce the truck factor around the VM. > It particularly means that the consortium now does not depend of the > good will and knowledge of other people. > > We want to thank every member of the consortium.  > Now we have a particular thank to Lifeware that renewed their contract > and Schmidt Buro for their original contract.  > > A last word — do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help you > growing your business. > > S. Ducasse on the behalf of the Pharo consortium > > > > -------------------------------------------- > Stéphane Ducasse > http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr > <http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr> / http://www.pharo.org > <http://www.pharo.org>  > 03 59 35 87 52 > Assistant: Aurore Dalle  > FAX 03 59 57 78 50 > TEL 03 59 35 86 16 > S. Ducasse - Inria > 40, avenue Halley,  > Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne, Bât.A, Park Plaza > Villeneuve d'Ascq 59650 > France > -------------------------------------------- > Stéphane Ducasse > http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr <http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr> / > http://www.pharo.org <http://www.pharo.org>  > 03 59 35 87 52 > Assistant: Aurore Dalle  > FAX 03 59 57 78 50 > TEL 03 59 35 86 16 > S. Ducasse - Inria > 40, avenue Halley,  > Parc Scientifique de la Haute Borne, Bât.A, Park Plaza > Villeneuve d'Ascq 59650 > France >