[Modules] Components or Modules??
Les Tyrrell
tyrrell at canis.uiuc.edu
Fri Aug 17 01:04:53 UTC 2001
Allen Wirfs-Brock wrote:
> So what are we trying to accomplish? Dan listed a set of "desiderata"
> that I can whole-heartedly support. However, I would like to step up
> one level before plunging into the details.
Yes, let us avoid the mad rush into technical details before we have a
good sense of where we're going. There are lots of good ideas being
thrown about, but I'd like to avoid getting sucked into that just yet.
As I mention in another message, I would like to see more scenarios
posted, edited, commented upon, etc, to use as motivational examples or
counter-examples regarding the way we want our system to work. I have a
few that I'd like to post before wrangling over technical approaches.
[snip]
> Roughly speaking Components correspond to COM or CORBA objects, DLLs,
> SLLs in Visual Smalltalk, etc.
>
> Roughly speaking Modules correspond to Java source files, Envy projects,
> TEAM/V packages, Smalltalk change sets.
>
> Modules are all about organizing and managing code, Components are all
> about composing functionality (behavior). Modules are used to create
> components.
[snip]
> (Here is my first crack assignment based upon limited
> visibility. Component systems: Environments, OASIS, (I don't really
> know enough about either but this is my impression) , Pope's selector
> ideas. Module systems: Pelrine's work, change sets).
I'd definitely agree that Oasis in present form is a component system in
your scheme. The Module aspect of that system has not been built,
although that does not mean that I am without ideas about how that part
of the system should work. More on this as we go ;^)
[snip]
> So here's my strawman position: Squeaks needs both a module architecture
> and a component architecture. They should be designed to be
> complementary to each other. The module system should stick to
> development time issues. The component system should stick to runtime
> issues.
I very strongly agree with you on this- in fact, I just posted another
message along those lines ( perhaps not as clearly ).
> Globally, some people should be thinking about how to slice the
> image into components and modules.
That's a mighty big topic- I'll have to come back to that.
Take care!
- les
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