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Craig,<br>
Your book looks great and I look forward to reading more of it. I also
applaud your choice of target audience; the lay reader/user/programmer.
Data processing is essentially simple, the complexity of current
SW products are the results of poor development and probably also
successful
marketing strategies.<br>
<br>
I strongly applaud your aim at making a Smalltalk as Smalltalk should
have been and hope to be able to add my two bits worth to your effort.<br>
<br>
Targeting the lay reader poses makes it hard to discuss the hard parts.
I strongly believe that a new departure such as Spoon <i>must </i>be
created on a solid foundation. For example in <i>chapter twenty-two:
imprinting and modules.</i> Every object has a unique identity. A copy
of the object can exist in a remote image. But then there are two
distinct objects with the same identity, thus violating the fundamental
rule. This rises a number of fundamental problems that need to be
studied in depth, otherwise we may be building our edifice on shifting
sand.<br>
<br>
Another concept that needs to be carefully studied is the notion of a <i>module</i>.
I take it it is here a module of objects. There is the <i>Islands </i>in
<i>Tweak</i>, but I find this unsatisfactory because it is not well
defined IMO.<br>
<br>
Another comment. <i>chapter twenty-three: collaboration: </i>Documentation
is a two-edged sword. It is hard to keep it synchronized with a rapidly
changing program; it is hard to read and often hard to understand
because it is terse and often uses an unfamiliar terminology. I aim at
making the code itself more expressive so that it becomes more readable.<br>
<br>
Details:<br>
<ul>
<li>The document should be dated. </li>
<li>estimated completion date: 1 June 2007 is somewhat unlikely</li>
<li>A few figures would have helped me. As it is its target audience
are pure left-brainers.</li>
<li>PDF permits a live TOC, e.g., see <br>
<a
href="http://folk.uio.no/trygver/2007/2007.07.30-RolesAndClasses.pdf">http://folk.uio.no/trygver/2007/2007.07.30-RolesAndClasses.pdf</a><br>
I find this very helpful for navigating in large documents.</li>
</ul>
<br>
-------------------<br>
<br>
I hope to get a stable Spoon system up and running so that I can get on
with my own work. I may have Spoon running now as an empty window, but
I cannot communicate with it in any way.<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
--Trygve<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Trygve Reenskaug mailto: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:trygver@ifi.uio.no">trygver@ifi.uio.no</a>
Morgedalsvn. 5A <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://folk.uio.no/trygver">http://folk.uio.no/trygver</a>
N-0378 Oslo Tel: (+47) 22 49 57 27
Norway
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