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Re: Killing off scm_init_guile for Guile 2.0 ?


From: Neil Jerram
Subject: Re: Killing off scm_init_guile for Guile 2.0 ?
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:02:15 +0000

2009/1/17 Linas Vepstas <address@hidden>:
> 2009/1/16  <address@hidden>:
>> ---- Neil Jerram <address@hidden> wrote:
>>> scm_init_guile has always been a bit problematic, as it requires lots
>>> of heuristic and OS-dependent code to try to determine where the base
>>> of the stack is.  It's never been formally deprecated, but we have
>>> always advised people to use scm_boot_guile or scm_with_guile if they
>
>> Iirc, scm_init_guile is mainly used when you do not have access to main(), 
>> for example writing a module for apache.  Generally, when you want to add 
>> Guile to an already existing application that has plugins or extension 
>> modules via .so's.
>
> This is an excellent example of where scm_init_guile
> is exactly the *wrong* function to use.

I would say that it's not definitely wrong, but it's certainly risky.
The point is that "guile mode"-ness applies on a per-thread basis, so
scm_init_guile (on its own) can only be correct if you are sure that
the application is always going to execute your libguile-using code on
the same thread (the one where you called scm_init_guile).

> The problem is,
> of course, that if you scm_init_guile in some .so,
> you will accidentally place the entire system into guile
> mode, and not just the .so, as intended.

Or, to put that another way, the "guile mode"-ness persists on the
thread that called your libguile-using code, even after the thread has
returned back into the depths of the application.  That might not be a
problem, but it could be.  For example, threads in guile mode are
(currently; I'm not sure what BDW-GC will do) paused when a garbage
collection is needed; so activity on another guile thread could
suddenly block the application thread; or more likely the other way
round: the GC would not be able to proceed, because the application
thread would not actually pause.

> Instead, you want to call scm_with_guile on entry to
> the so, it will unwind on exit.
>
> This could be cleared up by having the docs make
> the case more forcefully.

Yes x 2.

   Neil




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