Writing a compiler; which VM?
I'm going to try to write a compiler for a dynamic language. Preferably to some existing virtual machine --- I don't (yet) want to deal with garbage collection and the myriad other concerns a good VM handles for you. What VMs do you suggest?

I'm on Linux, so I don't know if .NET (via Mono) is that good an idea. I've heard that Parrot is good for dynamic languages, but I haven't heard of _any_ language use that. Should I invent my own? Does LLVM even count as a VM I should compile against, or is it as hard as straight x86?

Also, what pros and cons are there to stack-based vs register-based VMs?

Performance and tool support would be important. I'll be writing the compiler in Haskell, so a good interface with that is a plus.
Writing a compiler; which VM?
===

I'm going to try to write a compiler for a dynamic language. Preferably to some existing virtual machine --- I don't (yet) want to deal with garbage collection and the myriad other concerns a good VM handles for you. What VMs do you suggest?

I'm on Linux, so I don't know if .NET (via Mono) is that good an idea. I've heard that Parrot is good for dynamic languages, but I haven't heard of _any_ language use that. Should I invent my own? Does LLVM even count as a VM I should compile against, or is it as hard as straight x86?

Also, what pros and cons are there to stack-based vs register-based VMs?

Performance and tool support would be important. I'll be writing the compiler in Haskell, so a good interface with that is a plus.