Native Image Committer and Community Meeting 2023-02-09

[christianwimmer]

List of all past and upcoming meetings: #3933

New and Noteworthy

• [GR-42212] Remove JDK 11 support. #5838 We are now able to use Java 17 language features in the native image generator. We have not removed JDK 11 specific code from the native image project yet.

• [GR-43506] [GR-43820] Native-Image API fixes. #5854 Deprecated for removal of org.graalvm.nativeimage.RuntimeOptions#getOptions. This method allows "Truffle polyglot style" access to options, but it should not be API and we do not want a dependency from native image to the polyglot API.

• Compatibility:
  [GR-42467] Add support for loading libraries from directory containing native image. #5932 Necessary for AWT support, but also generally useful.
  [GR-44051] Fail at runtime when Loom virtual threads are reachable so that code can probe for it. #5928 Instead of failing at image build time, fail only at run time
  [GR-36191] Add option to explicitly make jvm shim DLL. #5859 Some JNI code depends explicitly on jvm.dll/.so for functions exported from there. On Linux, that is no problem because our native images export the same functions and the loader finds them. But on Windows, a jvm.dll must really be present. We create the shim automatically when we know we need it, like when the native image uses AWT. Now there is also an option to create it.

• Usability
  [GR-19890] Set up build environments for Windows users. #5881
  [GR-43620] Improve OutOfMemoryError handling. #5866
  [GR-42693] First draft of native-image bundle support. #5569

• Performance:
  Word-by-word card table scanning #5860
  [GR-43225] [GR-43635] [GR-43632] Optional identity hash code field and GC policy improvements. #5938

• Improve image build time:
  [GR-43722] Refactor method flows graph init. #5922
  [GR-43619] Refactor analysis: fix BitSet preallocation and cache options. #5910
  [GR-43476] [GR-43658] Reduce image build time. #5805
  [GR-43476] Improve image build time. #5749

• Monitoring / tools:
  [GR-42964] Deprecate --enable-monitoring without argument. #5792 With more monitoring features being added, it is not a good idea to default to "just enable everything".
  [GR-41839] [GR-41851] [GR-42793] [GR-43145] Various fixes and improvements for JFR. #5807 Finally our large JFR cleanup PR is merged.
  Add Java monitor inflation JFR event #5701
  Object allocation in new TLAB JFR event #5654

Deep Dive: JFR support

By @roberttoyonaga

Possible deep dive topics for next meeting

• Upcoming improvements to reflection configuration: distinguish between "method not found" and "method not registered for reflection".
• Simulation of class initializer at image build time, to allow the new class initialization strategy where all classes can be used at image build time.

Please send suggestions in the GraalVM Slack channel