Squeak and Namespaces

Andreas Raab andreas.raab at gmx.de
Thu Nov 30 06:31:01 UTC 2006


J J wrote:
> You bring up good points, but how would you implement something like 
> this in smalltalk?  A "compilation unit" (and thus a lookup context) in 
> python is a file.  A "compilation unit" in smalltalk is a method.

Sure, but this is not about a "compilation unit" it's about a scope. 
Such a scope can easily be defined, system categories or Monticello 
packages are good candidates.

Cheers,
   - Andreas

> 
> 
>> From: Andreas Raab <andreas.raab at gmx.de>
>> Reply-To: The general-purpose Squeak developers 
>> list<squeak-dev at lists.squeakfoundation.org>
>> To: The general-purpose Squeak developers 
>> list<squeak-dev at lists.squeakfoundation.org>
>> Subject: Re: Squeak and Namespaces
>> Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:00:26 -0800
>>
>> stephane ducasse wrote:
>>>> And, I think imports are critical for scalability - because they a) 
>>>> declare dependencies explicitly and b) allow the *user* of a 
>>>> package/global to decide under which name to use them. The Python 
>>>> module system works that way and it works great.
>>>
>>> Can you give an example? Do you mean that you can alias them?
>>
>> No, I mean that a user can decide what's important for him and where 
>> to qualify and where not. For example, consider that both Tweak and 
>> Morphic define a class named Button. In Goran's proposal it means that 
>> you always have to qualify Button everywhere you see it; even in the 
>> innards of Morphic and Tweak where there is not the slightest chance 
>> of it meaning anything but what is reasonable in this context. In 
>> Python's module system you could (in the scope you are working in; 
>> usually a file) decide to either use only Tweak (and not qualify) or 
>> use only Morphic (and not qualify) or use Tweak qualified and Morphic 
>> unqualified, or vice versa, or use both qualified.
>>
>> In either case it puts the user in control about what is important for 
>> him in the context he is working in instead of the system making 
>> requirements about qualifications of names because in some distant 
>> corner of the world a name has been used.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>   - Andreas
>>
>>
> 
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