MoarVM is based around the 6model object system. This must be bootstrapped as pretty much the first thing that the VM does after startup.
The bootstrap is done something like this.
- Create a type object that will become VMString, the VM's core string type. It will have no meta-object yet, and the STable will not be filled out. It will use the MVMString representation.
- Populate the representations table and name to ID hash. This includes setting up all of the representation function tables. We needed the VMString first, as representation function tables contain the representation name in string form.
- Create a type object BOOTArray, the VM's core array type. It will have the MVMObjectArray representation. Again, there's no meta-object just yet.
- Create a type object BOOTHash, the VM's core hash type. It will have the MVMHash representation. Still no meta-objects.
- Create a type object BOOTCCode, the VM's core code type for things implemented inside the VM in C (typically, just a very small number of bootstrap things). It will have the MVMCFunction representation. Still no...yeah, you got it. :-)
- At this point, we finally have enough to bootstrap KnowHOW, the most primitive object type. This involves the KnowHOWREPR representation.
- Finally, the various BOOT type objects get meta-objects pieced together, which are KnowHOWs. Note that it almost certainly doesn't offer any real functionality; the point is just to get a clean bootstrap with nothing left dangling.
Beyond that, there's nothing left to do in the VM core; all other objects are set up from code running atop of the VM.