5.1 KiB
🌍 Portability Guarantees and Cross-Platform Execution
1. Overview
PROMETEU was designed from the beginning to be portable by construction, not by later adaptation.
A PROMETEU cartridge:
- executes the same way on any supported platform
- produces the same results for the same inputs
- maintains predictable technical behavior
PROMETEU does not depend on the platform. The platform depends on PROMETEU.
This chapter defines the system's portability contract.
2. Fundamental Principle of Portability
Portability in PROMETEU is based on a simple rule:
Only the PROMETEU VM defines the program's behavior.
This means:
- source languages do not matter after compilation
- real hardware does not influence logic
- the operating system does not change semantics
Everything that does not belong to the VM is adaptation, not execution.
3. Separation of Responsibilities
PROMETEU strictly separates three layers:
+----------------------------+
| CARTRIDGE |
| (bytecode + assets) |
+-------------+--------------+
|
+-------------v--------------+
| PROMETEU VM |
| (logic, time, memory) |
+-------------+--------------+
|
+-------------v--------------+
| PLATFORM LAYER |
| window, audio, input, FS |
+----------------------------+
What the VM controls
- bytecode execution
- logical time (frames, cycles)
- memory (stack, heap)
- determinism
- costs and metrics
What the platform provides
- pixel display
- audio output
- physical input collection
- access to the sandbox file system
The platform never decides behavior.
4. Determinism as the Basis of Portability
PROMETEU guarantees determinism through:
- fixed logical clock (60 Hz)
- abstract cycles, not real time
- input sampled per frame
- absence of implicit concurrency
- absence of system-dependent operations
This allows stating:
“If the cartridge is the same, the game is the same.”
5. Independence from Real Hardware
PROMETEU does not use:
- operating system timers
- high-resolution clocks
- CPU-specific instructions
- uncontrolled graphics acceleration
All performance is measured in PROMETEU cycles, not in milliseconds.
The real hardware:
- only executes the VM
- never interferes with semantics
6. Floating Point Precision
To guarantee numerical consistency:
- PROMETEU defines explicit mathematical operations
- avoids dependence on specific FPUs
- standardizes
numberbehavior
This avoids:
- divergences between architectures
- unpredictable cumulative errors
- subtle differences between platforms
7. Cross-Platform Input
PROMETEU abstracts physical input into logical state.
- keyboard, gamepad, and touch are mapped externally
- the cartridge only sees logical buttons and axes
- the reading moment is fixed per frame
The same cartridge:
- reacts the same way on PC, mobile, or console
- does not contain device-dependent logic
8. Cross-Platform Audio
The audio system:
- defines channels and mixing logically
- uses native APIs only as output
- maintains per-frame synchronization
Hardware differences:
- do not change logical timing
- do not change sound sequence
- do not affect certification
9. Cross-Platform Graphics
The graphics system:
- operates on a logical framebuffer
- uses an indexed palette
- does not depend on a specific GPU
The platform layer:
- only displays the framebuffer
- does not reinterpret graphics commands
PROMETEU does not delegate graphics decisions to the hardware.
10. File System and Persistence
PROMETEU defines a sandbox logical filesystem:
- virtual paths
- size limits
- deterministic behavior
The platform maps this filesystem to:
- disk
- mobile storage
- persistent memory
Without changing semantics.
11. Certification and Portability
The PROMETEU Certification is valid for all platforms.
If a cartridge:
- passes on one platform
- with the same inputs
It:
- will pass on all
- will produce the same reports
This is possible because:
the certification validates the VM, not the environment.
12. What PROMETEU DOES NOT guarantee
PROMETEU does not promise:
- identical absolute performance (real FPS)
- identical physical latency
- equivalent energy consumption
PROMETEU promises:
- identical logical behavior
- reproducible technical decisions
13. Pedagogical Implications
This model allows teaching:
- the difference between logic and presentation
- why modern engines break determinism
- how to isolate systems
- how to design portable software
The student learns:
portability is not luck — it is architecture.
14. Summary
- PROMETEU defines behavior in the VM
- platforms only execute
- time is logical, not physical
- input, audio, and graphics are abstracted
- certification is universal
- portability is guaranteed by design