What is Squeak? (Was Re: A roadmap for 3.9)

Hannes Hirzel hirzel at spw.unizh.ch
Mon Dec 13 07:57:34 UTC 2004


Hi

I think it is important to remind us of the idea of a lean basic image 
on which other images may be built on:

- Squeak Full
- Croquet
- The Japanese image
- Smallland
- Squeakland
- Berne Image ??
- ...?

Basically the idea was discussed on this list in extenso and approved in 
principle so in fact we only need a reminder to keep us focused.


Russell Penney wrote:

> *Start with a "base" image that has enough code to start-up and load other
> code. If that code is stable and has hooks to add new functionality then
> everything else becomes a package. We are nearly there I think but it needs
> to be separated out. Then you will know that if you call a method that is in
> "base" it WILL work and it WILL do what you expect it too. Also it is a good
> place to start beginners saying "these are the minimum methods for this
> class, you can always expect them to be there". 

Yes this is what the community is striving  for the last two years. The 
basic image as a 'kernel' on which other images are built.

In fact 3.8 marks an important milestone in this area as the Squeakland
image (Michael Rueger) will be based on 3.8 again. And of course the 
Japanese Squeakers image as the multilingualisation is now in place.
In another thread I ask on which image version Croquet is built. I would 
also like to know on which version Diego builds his Extremadura image 
(actually called 'Smallland') in sunny southern Spain.


 > We are trying to plaster the walls before fixing the foundations.
I know what you mean, but this comparison is not entirely exact as the 
mallability of the Smalltalk environment allows you to change very basic 
things if you care to watch your interfaces and change them accordingly. 
The updating has to go one in parallel like in a body where constantly 
cells are exchanged (including cells in very important and 
life-supporting subsystems).


Hannes



P.S. And thank you, Russell, for the contribution of an OGG decoder in 
pure Smalltalk. That it didn't get the attention it deserves is probably 
that currently the number of packages is around 500 and the work of 
integrating various well tested 'distributions' has not yet really 
started (and in a sense is overwhelming).





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