Tim wrote:
>> I'm sorry to say that I really don't like the way some of this is 
>> going.
>> Certainly cleaning up SystemDictionary is a Good Thing but I'm 
>> having trouble swallowing splitting code into so many places on a 
>> tenuous basis.
..
>> No, I'd claim that a class named something relatively simple
>> like 'System' is the place for most of this, along with many of the
>> things I've seen in discussions of 'Image'. And again, I'd go for
>> class-side code since there is really only a single System around 
>> at any
>> one time.

Yes, that is IMHO exactly the right way to go.

Stef wrote:
>For the class side of life, we have one strong opinion about what 
>should be put on class side: class
>behavior! Using class methods to represent instance behavior is a 
>sick behavior on the long term.

There is no instance behavior if there is maximal one instance! In 
case you don't believe this, here is the proof: you can put all 
methods on the class side. And because of the missing instances there 
is no real class behavior either! 

It may be even misleading to create a special class with an artificial 
instance in such a case, the inexperienced code-reader may think that 
there may be different 'vms' 'images' 'systems' etc. SHe may entirely 
miss, that that is no real object at all! ( it is only a 
representation of something outside the OO-system ). 

>I do not understand why having two small classes is not better that a 
>big fat one. Especially because we are trying
>to create coherent abstractions.
>
>About the general purpose, note that we believe that having class 
>with well identified responsibility is the best way to create 
>abstraction. We believe that after others can build on them, enrich 
>them. The process is important. I saw that we creating SpaceTally 
>from spaceTallyOn: and related methods.

What coherent abstractions do you want to create on something like VM, 
which obviously has not even one real instance and therefore no real 
class ( in an OO sense )? 

Stephane, your OO-arguments simply don't work for these special kind 
of methods and 'representation-objects'. 

Furthermore I must say, you should not forget that 97% of all Squeak 
users and potential users have no interest in arcane research 
experiments, they expect to have _one_ System and _one_ 
SystemNavigator: they prefer to say XYZ doThat instead of XYZ default 
doThat. 

Keep it simple.

peace and regards,
Martin