Scott,

> The fix is trivial, getting it into the image isn't.

True, and I don't think it'll make it anytime soon. The major reason for
this is that changing the way #hashBitsOf: works has a huge number of
implications for the relationship between the VM and the Squeak image. As an
example, all methods are looked up based on #hashBitsOf: and a VM/image pair
that has a different interpretation of the two (the image created with one
version, the VM created with a different one) will lead to fundamental
problems.

This isn't to say that the fix will never make it (although I personally
would've changed this to extend the hash bits by the class hash - this gives
not only more range but also better hashing in sets/dictionaries that
contain objects of different classes). All it means is that any such change
will require an image format change which is truly a biggie.

Cheers,
  - Andreas