Good people -
Whatever the impetus, it's good to see this recent spate of self-examination.
When I look back on the early days, we had a cycle where we would use the old system for all it was worth (even with ugly hacks), exploring some current set of initiatives, and *then* we would fall back to clean things up and integrate what we learned in the latest push.
Maybe that's what's happening now, but I feel the absence of some of those big challenges that motivate and reward real progress (not to make little of the current efforts). These could include...
Take advantage of multicore processors and associated multi-thread OS's in our VM design(s).
Demonstrate real ease of use in tapping that new dimension of performance. Linda and E are relevant.
Press at least one good JIT design through to completion document it, and keep it alive on every platform.
Make it easy to produce Squeak apps for the iPhone and similar platforms for which it seems so perfect.
Bring Squeak to life in browsers. OMeta + V8 + Canvas = Squeak everywhere, including behind firewalls and where installation is prohibited
Get serious about security. Take another look at ESqueak and figure how to make it just a bit simpler
Along the same lines, make it easy for Squeak to rule the cloud.
Each of these has high potential impact, and it would be nice to have made some real progress in one or two areas before doing a major merge or rewrite. What if you decide to eliminate shared globals; wouldn't this be a great time to include that rewrite? What if shared variables turn out to be a great way to synchronize multiple threads in the VM; wouldn't this be a good time to fold that in? Etc.
So this may be the time to reorganize everything, but it also looks to me like there is nothing in the way of making some *bold* progress right now, and it's likely that the wider perspective achieved in the process might inform an even better next system.
That said, don't forget there are good and committed people on both sides of this discussion, and your first priority should be how to maximize the community. FWIW I recommend face-to-face discussion. And beer.
- Dan