focus on code?

[Lex Spoon]

There has been some discussion about how awkward it currently is to ship
around objects in packages, and how nice it would be if Squeak's module
system could support including a fully general object.  If this group
figures out a way to do that, it would indeed be wonderful.

Even so, there is nothing wrong with concentrating mostly on code.  Such
a focus does not prevent there being a hook in the module system to add
general objects to a module.  In fact, adding a hook to support general
objects may turn out to be easy no matter what the rest of the module
system looks like.

I mention this, because code is a common case, and there is a lot that
can be done for it to improve how development works in Squeak.  How does
a statement in one module, refer to classes (or method names, Dan?!) in
a different module?  How does one have a single method in a module, and
then arrange for it to get attached to the correct class when it is
loaded?  In what circumstances can a method in one module override a
method in another?  These are all questions that are specifically about
code, but they are well worth attacking.


So how do you do all these things?  I don't know!  It's great that there
are Squeak folks who are good at these things, and I thoroughly look
forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.  Please don't be too
reticent about ideas that "only" make sense for code.  A code-centric
module system that is effortless for developers to use, is something to
be proud of.


-Lex