Optimizing Java with Graal/Truffle

[Alex Krause]

Hello everyone,

I want to get into Graal / Truffle Development and have a few questions
before I get started.

My current plan is to:
+ optimize specific cases of non-imperative programming (functional,
reactive...)
+ write a framework or if necessary extend a language with new
non-imperative language features
+ if possible use Truffle
+ use Java as optimization target language

My questions are:
1. If Graal executes Java Code, does it use Truffle?
2. Is there any project that executes Java through Graal with Truffle? Is
this a bad idea? Do you think I'm crazy :)?
3. Is modifying Graal itself a realistic goal for optimizing a specific
self written Java framework?
4. What would you suggest if I want to extend a subset of Java and change
Graal to emit optimized code for my extensions?
5. Any concerns, opinions and tips on how to get started?

Thank you for any feedback
Alex