Quoting Diego Gomez Deck <DiegoGomezDeck at ConsultAr.com>:
 
> This idea is the base for a lot of changes we need to do:
> 
> - Store the sources *inside* the image.  The string is also an object,
> isn't it?
> 
> - Let use a .changes files ONLY to store the changes not present in the
> image.  The .changes has to contains only the modifications made to the
> image but still not saved.  That means, for instance, every time we save
> the image the .changes goes empty. Note that .changes concept don't
> implies text-format, the .changes can be a stream of serialized command
> to impact on the image.  For example, all the changes made in the image
> but in browsers can be saved (like all the changes a normal user can
> make to an image just using the UI).

Hi Diego,

Actually I've done some work on this already, as part of a new packaging system
for Squeak. The idea is to store behavior as parse nodes in the image rather
than as text on disk. Then the .changes file would become a series of
serialized SystemChangeNotifier events, and would be cleared when the image is
saved. On start up we'd check the .changes file and automatically bring up a
"recently logged changes" browser if it's not empty.

The main trick is to do this without breaking the VersionsBrowser or loosing
method history. I think Avi's Unstable Squeak experiment will help in making
Monticello suitable for tracking source code evolution.

Colin