S.14  High-Performance Stackless Virtual Machine

SheerPower uses a Stackless Virtual Machine for Predictable Performance

This tutorial explains the key architectural breakthroughs of the SheerPower Virtual Machine (SPVM). Unlike traditional virtual machines, SPVM completely eliminates the use of an execution stack. This results in fewer byte-code transitions, faster and predictable routine calls, improved memory safety, and consistent behavior—making it especially well-suited for high-performance business applications.

Design Goals

• Advantages:
  1. Eliminates stack overflows by design.
  2. All variables and parameters are statically bound.
  3. No frame creation or teardown required.
  4. Return addresses stored in protected memory areas, not the stack.
  
  
• Disadvantages:
  1. Does not support traditional recursion (uses memoization instead).

Key Innovations

• Return control is handled via a separate memory region, protecting against hijacks.
• All routine-local memory is allocated at compile-time for deterministic execution.
• String variables retain memory across calls, avoiding unnecessary assignments via SIDs.
• SID-based identity tracking enables zero-copy assignments and accelerated parsing.
• Hinting systems attached to SIDs allow accelerated real-time performance (e.g., `geodistance()`).

Real-World Benefits

• Faster function and routine calls and lower overhead per call.
• Improved auditability and predictability of memory use.
• Safe, bounded recursion for business logic where stack growth is undesirable.
• Automatic reuse of allocated memory for strings across iterations and sessions.

Summary