Clasp v2.6.0

Version 2.6.0 (LLVM15-18) 2024-06-03

Added

• LLVM18 support.

Changed

• Exit with error code when unknown option is present on command line.
• EVAL now uses bytecode, improving evaluation speed.
• Bytecode is now simpler for functions with &rest parameters, as well
  as functions that close over arguments.

Fixed

• Avoid inserting fill newlines after newline format directive in
  logical block format directive.
• Don't buffer overrun when encoding UCS-4 streams.
• The bytecode system can properly handle functions with more than
  255 keyword parameters.
• Bytecode FASLs can contain multidimensional arrays specialized to
  sub-byte integer types.
• Avoid a double free when translating const char* arguments in the
  C++ bridge.
• macroexpand does not ignore shadowing function bindings (#1556).
• BTB compiler can handle closure variables deleted by optimization.
• (setf elt) calls (setf sequence:elt) properly on extended
  sequences.
• BTB compiler handles non-constant load-time-values.
• When set-macro-character is given a non-function, it signals an
  error without breaking the readtable.

Optimized

• Single dispatch generic functions don't perform redundant argument
  count checks.

Building from Source Archive

Clasp or Cando can now be built from the build archive attached to this release without cloning via git. git is still required during the build but it won't clone or fetch. First download and extract the archive from the attached asset named clasp-2.6.0.tar.gz. Then, from a shell inside the clasp directory of the extracted archive:

$ ./koga --skip-sync
...
$ ninja -C build
...
$ ninja -C build install
...

To build CANDO just add --extensions=cando,seqan-clasp to the koga invocation. For detailed build requirements and instructions please see the wiki.

Clasp v2.5.0

Version 2.5.0 (LLVM15-17) 2024-01-01

Added

• New module named "gray-streams" which makes it possible to
  initialize the Gray stream protocol without calls to internal
  functions.
• New build mode :bytecode-faso which builds the kernel as native
  code (FASO) while the bytecode compiler is active.
• Generic gray:stream-file-length which implements cl:file-length
  for Gray streams.
• Generic versions of cl:pathname and cl:truename, both of which
  are available after the Gray stream modules is required.
• Generic (setf gray:stream-element-type),
  gray:stream-external-format, and
  (setf gray:stream-external-format) for basic support of bivalent
  streams.
• Generic gray:stream-file-string-length which implements
  cl:file-string-length for Gray streams.
• The bytecode compiler warns about unused variables.

Changed

• cl:format and pprint now respect the value returned by
  gray:stream-line-length.
• cl:close now uses the :abort argument to decide what to do with
  the resulting file. If :abort is non-NIL and the file was created
  as a result of :if-does-not-exist :create then the file is
  deleted. If :abort is non-NIL, there was an existing file and
  :if-exists is either :supersede or :rename-and-delete then the
  original file is restored.

Removed

• Obsolete :object, :ll, :bc, and :fasl build modes.

Fixed

• cl:read-line so it correctly returns lines that end with EOF.
• cl:read-byte so it respects the eof-error-p and eof-value
  arguments for Gray streams.

Clasp v2.4.0

Version 2.4.0 (LLVM15-17) 2023-10-01

Added

• Bytecode stores source location info for debugging.
• Bytecode stores variable info, so that variables can be viewed in the debugger.
• The bytecode compiler tracks source positions for error reporting.
• Circle detection for load forms in bytecode FASL.
• Bytecode functions can be compiled directly into native code with cl:compile (experimental).
• Cross-reference (xref) capability: Search for callers of a given function with ext:who-calls, and etc. Only works for bytecode right now.
• Support for Linux AARCH64.
• LLVM17 support. LLVM15 and LLVM16 are still supported.

Changed

• Improved printing of backquote and unquote.

Fixed

• Avoid segmentation faults from incorrectly calling MP:PROCESS-JOIN in
  EXT:RUN-PROGRAM.

Clasp v2.3.0

Version 2.3.0 (LLVM15/LLVM16) 2023-06-04

Added

• Bytecode compiled images via build mode :bytecode.
• FASL magic number sniffing for CL:LOAD. This enables FASL files to be
  loaded even if the filename extension is incorrect.
• Preliminary Apple Silicon support. Must be compiled with bytecode
  either by specifying --build-mode=bytecode when invoking koga or
  by adding :build-mode :bytecode to the config.sexp file.
• LLVM16 support. LLVM15 is still supported.

Changed

• Updated to Eclector v0.9.0

Fixed

• Use Eclector state protocol to enable readtable changes during compiling.
  Fixes #1398.

Clasp v2.2.0

Version 2.2.0 (LLVM15) 2023-03-01

Added

• ext:describe-compiler-policy to get information about the current
  behavior of the compiler.
• gray:stream-line-length Gray stream extension method.
• Support for building Clasp using CCL and ECL versus the default
  implementation of SBCL.
• Export of ext:num-logical-processors to return CPU count.

Changed

• Updated to LLVM 15 and CLANG 15.

Fixes

• Ensure that print-unreadable-object can accept output stream designators.
• Set stream column to zero after printing the prompt in a REPL. Fixes #1348.
• Return correct values for listen when applied to file streams. This is done
  by checking for available bytes using read when poll/select indicate the next
  read will not block. Otherwise use non-blocking read. Fixes #1404.
• Prevent format parameters from appearing after colon or at sign modifiers.
• Avoid putting NIL into simple LOOP when compiling format directives.

Optimizations

• Arithmetic comparisons between floats and fixnums no longer cons.

Clasp v2.1.0

Version 2.1.0 (LLVM14) 2023-01-01

Added

• Add ext:list-all-logical-hosts and ext:logical-host-p functions to query
  the current logical host status.

Changed

• Removed stage and image format command line options (-t and -T) and
  replaced with options to specify image or snapshot file (--image or
  --snapshot) and --base option for loading base image when extensions
  are present.
• print-unreadable-object now prints qualified symbols for the :type t
  option and uses pprint-logical-block when pretty printing.

Fixes

• ext:run-program works with string streams.
• print-object is now invoked for all calls to write.
• slot-unbound is called for unbound condition slots (#1390).
• Multiple inheritance of class-allocated slots is resolved
  breadth-first (#1392).

Clasp v2.0.0

Version 2.0.0 (LLVM14) 2022-10-26

This release is dedicated to Dr. Karsten Poeck, who died after a short illness in July of 2022. Karsten made many significant contributions to Clasp, including reviving and solidifying our test frameworks. We are saddened by his sudden passing, and will miss the insightful conversations with him. A memorial webpage has been set up here.

Added

• Lisp based koga metabuilder that outputs Ninja build files.
• basic Debian packaging files.
• core:*extension-systems*, core:*initialize-hooks* and
  core:*terminate-hooks dynamic variables have been added to support new
  extension loading method. core:*extension-systems* is a list of keywords
  that name extension systems to load after Clasp starts and before --load
  and --eval command line options are processed. The remaining two variables
  are lists of functions that are called to do initialization before a REPL is
  started and termination after the REPL exits.
• --script <file> command line option which equivalent to passing --norc,
  --noinform and --non-interactive. Any shebang in <file> will also be
  skipped.
• Asynchronous external process control with ext:run-program.
• Function ext:temporary-directory that returns the directory used for
  temporary files.
• Function ext:printing-char-p that returns non-NIL for graphic characters
  that are not blank glyphs. This is an extension of the ANSI specification
  that defines "printing" characters as graphic characters aside from the space
  character.

Changed

• core:lisp-implementation-id and core:clasp-git-full-commit only return
  non-NIL values if Clasp was built in a git working tree.
• graphic-char-p, alpha-char-p, alphanumericp, upper-case-p,
  lower-case-p, both-case-p, char-upcase and char-downcase now no longer
  depend on C++ locale functions and are now generated directly from the Unicode
  character tables.
• Loading of extensions such as Cando no longer uses startup scripts via LOAD.
  Instead the systems associated with each extension are loaded via QL:QUICKLOAD
  or as a fallback ASDF:LOAD-SYSTEM.
• Behavior of --rc command line option has changed. Relative paths passed via
  this option are no longer assumed to be located in the user's home directory.
• The logical hosts used by Clasp to locate source code and other components of
  Clasp has been changed. Only the reserved logical host SYS is now used. The
  default mappings for a system installed to /usr/ are
  1. SYS:LIB;**;*.*.* ↦ /usr/lib/clasp/**/*.*
  2. SYS:GENERATED;**;*.*.* ↦ /usr/share/clasp/generated/**/*.*
  3. SYS:EXECUTABLE;**;*.*.* ↦ /usr/bin/**/*.*
  4. SYS:QUICKLISP;**;*.*.* ↦ ~/quicklisp/**/*.*
  5. SYS:**;*.*.* ↦ /usr/share/clasp/**/*.*
• ASDF systems that are loaded as part the cclasp image are now marked as
  immutable thereby preventing ASDF from overwriting them. These systems include
  the systems acclimation, alexandria, clasp-cleavir, cleavir-ast-to-bir,
  cleavir-ast, cleavir-ast-transformations, cleavir-attributes, cleavir-bir,
  cleavir-bir-transformations, cleavir-compilation-policy, cleavir-conditions,
  cleavir-cst-to-ast, cleavir-ctype, cleavir-environment,
  cleavir-io,cleavir-meter, cleavir-primop, cleavir-set, cleavir-stealth-mixins,
  closer-mop, concrete-syntax-tree, concrete-syntax-tree-base,
  concrete-syntax-tree-destructuring, concrete-syntax-tree-lambda-list,
  eclector, and eclector-concrete-syntax-tree.
• Source code file references for Lisp and C/C++ files compiled as part of the
  Clasp binary or images are now stored using logical pathnames.
• Unicode character database updated to 2022-08-03.

Removed

• core:*extensions-startup-loads* and core:*extensions-startup-evals*
  dynamic variables have been removed since they are no longer used.
• The --resources-dir command line option has been removed. Equivalent
  behavior is achieved with the CLASP_HOME environment variable.

Enhancements

• make-instance and CLOS slot access functions can be used with structure
  objects.
• The stepper, accessible through step, now has basic functionality.
• gctools:save-lisp-and-die now accepts a key :executable which can be used
  to create an executable binary with the snapshot embedded in the binary.
• garbage-collect, finalize, and save-lisp-and-die are now exported from
  the ext interface package.

Optimizations

• Arguments to and return values from local functions (e.g. from FLET) are
  passed unboxed in some common cases.
• Nonlocal exits are much faster in most cases, the exception being when
  the exit goes through uncooperative C++ code.
• Types inferred for many standard functions are tighter.
• Calls to some local functions with &rest parameters are more efficient.
• LENGTH is now a "vaslistable" function; &rest parameters that are only
  used for vaslistable functions can be compiled to avoid consing.
• Multiple value calls and APPLY calls to known functions can sometimes
  be optimized.
• Some MAKE-ARRAY calls are compiled more efficiently.
• Unused calls to many more (side-effect-free) standard functions are deleted.
• Accesses to 1D simple arrays of known element type are a bit faster.
• A virtual machine has been defined and implemented, greatly increasing the
  speed of evaluation of code that doesn't usually need to be optimized
  (for example, compile-time evaluations).
• The building process has been streamlined by replacing several of the
  bootstrapping components with the virtual machine.
• Discriminating functions now execute faster.
• The compiler now performs inlining much faster.

Fixes

• Replace hard coded paths to nm in snapshot code with NM_BINARY macro value
  set by configure.
• Clasp can now be built directly from source. Resolves issue #175.
• Snapshots now parse command line options such as --noinform, --noprint,
  --quit, and --disable-debugger.
• Source locations for warnings from errors during constant folding now
  print correctly.
• Unused calls that must remain in safe code are no longer deleted.
• Prevent negative zero remainder in core__next_ftruncate. Fixes #1368.

Clasp v1.0.0

Version 1.0.0 (LLVM13) 2022-03-26

• Add ed hooks functionality for ed function. Accessible via *ed-functions*
  dynamic variable.
• New compiled library format called FASP - it uses concatenated object files.
• Implemented save-lisp-and-die. This saves the state of a running environment
  for loading and fast startup later. Our most complex environment Cando starts
  up in ~4 seconds, which is 10x faster than the old startup that loaded
  libraries.
• Atomics interface for lock-free concurrent programming, in the mp: package.
• Garbage collection hooks including finalizers.
• Specialized arrays for sub-byte integer types (int2, int4, etc.)
• Source tracking: Code locations are associated with source locations via
  DWARF, to aid in debugging and project navigation.
• clasp-debug interface so that IDEs like SLIME can retrieve backtraces and
  more to present during debugging.
• Fixed many errors identified by the ansi-test-suite ANSI
• Fully integrated the customizable reader Eclector

Save dev before merge with fasldir

About to merge fasldir where directories are fasls

Save dev before the big merge with cst

Add libffi as dependency on macOS for brew llvm@5

Now we can use brew installed llvm@5 on macOS.
llvm@5 has libffi as a dependency.