HIDING COMPILATION LATENCY

• US 20160224325A1
• Filed: 01/29/2015
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Mentor Graphics Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Sidwell, Nathan, Perry, Glenn
• Application Number:
  US14/608,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224325A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4484 Executing subprograms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45516 Runtime code conversion or optimisation

Abstract

This application discloses a computing system configured to convert a virtual machine instruction set corresponding to a downloadable application into native code specific to the computing system. Prior to completion of the conversion of the virtual machine instruction set into native code specific to the computing system, the computing system can utilize a process virtual machine to execute the virtual machine instruction set to implement the downloadable application. After completion of the conversion of the virtual machine instruction set into native code specific to the computing system, the computing system can switch the execution of the virtual machine instruction set with the process virtual machine to execution of the native code by the computing system to implement the downloadable application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

converting, by a computing system, a virtual machine instruction set corresponding to a downloadable application into native code specific to a hardware platform of the computing system; and

prior to completion of the conversion, launching, by the computing system, the downloadable application, which includes executing the virtual machine instruction set with a process virtual machine.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the completion of the conversion, ceasing, by the computing system, execution of the virtual machine instruction set with the process virtual machine; and

re-launching, by the computing system, the downloadable application, which includes executing the native code specific to the hardware platform of the computing system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising presenting, by the computing system, a prompt in a display window that, when selected based on user input, is configured to prompt the ceasing of the execution of the virtual machine instruction set and the re-launching of the downloadable application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching, by the computing system, the execution of the virtual machine instruction set with the process virtual machine to execution of the native code by the computing system after the completion of the conversion and without having to re-launch the downloadable application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein switching the execution of the virtual machine instruction set to the execution of the native code further comprises:

identifying a functional call in the execution of the virtual machine instruction set; and

executing a portion of the native code corresponding to a function associated with the functional call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the process virtual machine is a Dalvik virtual machine, and the virtual machine instruction set is Dalvik byte code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual machine instruction set is an intermediate representation by a compiler or a non-native instruction set for another processor implementation.

8. A system comprising:

a memory system configured to store computer-executable instructions; and

a computing system, in response to execution of the computer-executable instructions, is configured to;

convert a virtual machine instruction set corresponding to a downloadable application into native code specific to a hardware platform of the computing system; and

launch the downloadable application prior to completion of the conversion, which includes execution of the virtual machine instruction set with a process virtual machine.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing system, in response to execution of the computer-executable instructions, is further configured to:

cease execution of the virtual machine instruction set with the process virtual machine after the completion of the conversion; and

re-launch the downloadable application, which includes execution of the native code specific to the hardware platform of the computing system.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing system, in response to execution of the computer-executable instructions, is further configured to present a prompt in a display window that, when selected based on user input, is configured to prompt the ceasing of the execution of the virtual machine instruction set and the re-launching of the downloadable application.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing system, in response to execution of the computer-executable instructions, is further configured to switch the execution of the virtual machine instruction set with the process virtual machine to execution of the native code by the computing system after the completion of the conversion and without having to re-launch the downloadable application.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing system, in response to execution of the computer-executable instructions, is further configured to:

identify a functional call in the execution of the virtual machine instruction set; and

execute a portion of the native code corresponding to a function associated with the functional call.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the process virtual machine is a Dalvik virtual machine, and the virtual machine instruction set is Dalvik byte code.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the virtual machine instruction set is an intermediate representation by a compiler or a non-native instruction set for another processor implementation.

15. An apparatus comprising at least one computer-readable memory device storing instructions configured to cause one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

converting a virtual machine instruction set corresponding to a downloadable application into a first native code set and a second native code set that are both specific to a hardware platform of the computing system;

launching the downloadable application, which includes executing the first native code set prior to completion of the conversion of the virtual machine instruction set into the second native code set; and

switching, by the computing system, the execution of the first native code set to an execution of the second native code set after completion of the conversion of the virtual machine instruction set into the second native code set.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, where switching the execution of the first native code set to an execution of the second native code set further comprises:

ceasing execution of the first native code set; and

re-launching the downloadable application, which includes executing the second native code set.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising prompt, by the computing system, a presentation in a display window that, when selected based on user input, is configured to prompt the ceasing of the execution of the first native code set and the re-launching of the downloadable application.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, where switching the execution of the first native code set to an execution of the second native code set further comprises:

identifying a functional call in the execution of the first native code set; and

executing a portion of the second native code set corresponding to a function associated with the functional call without having to re-launch the downloadable application.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, where switching the execution of the first native code set to an execution of the second native code set is performed

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the conversion of the virtual machine instruction set into the first native code set is faster than the conversion of the virtual machine instruction set into the second native code set, while a run-time performance of the downloadable application is faster when executing the second native code set compared to the when executing the first native code set.