Squeak as Linux and other threads

Lex Spoon lex at cc.gatech.edu
Tue May 20 08:16:56 UTC 2003


"Andreas Raab" <andreas.raab at gmx.de> wrote:

> > What would it mean to have a reference with both a UUID and a 
> > name?  How do you perform the dereference when you are ready to
> > download the real package object?
> 
> When you 'ultimately' dereference a package you do it by UUID. However,
> there are only very few places where this is required. For everything
> 'inbetween' you should use 'real objects' (PackageReferences) which allow
> you to think in whatever way is more convenient to you.
> 

This is what I was calling a UUID-based scheme.  I dislike that you have
to use a "real object" just to *refer* to a package.  Names are already
bona fide references.

Remember that it's not just the package manager that will touch package
names.  Suppose I email someone about a package -- should I use the name
or the UUID?  Suppose a package name creaps into a method, perhaps as
part of a name space.  Should I use the UUID or the name?

Just consider *entry* of a package reference by the user.  Do I have to
use a tool now to find the correct PackageReference object whenever I
want to enter a package name somewhere?

I'd really like to use the name in pretty much every context, and
probably most people are the same.  Is it really practical to accomplish
all the necessary programming wizadry so that UUID's never show up to
the user?  I doubt it.


Lex



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