> On 2019-03-28, at 10:43 AM, Levente Uzonyi <leves at caesar.elte.hu> wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 28 Mar 2019, patrick.rein at hpi.uni-potsdam.de wrote:
> 
>> The test documents the (currently not working) workflow for removing a trait from a class by simply removing the "uses:" line from the class definition. To make this work, we would have to make the Class>>#subclass:instanceVariableNames:classVariableNames:poolDictionaries:category: method aware of traits. The method would have to reset the trait composition as Class>>#subclass:uses:instanceVariableNames:classVariableNames:poolDictionaries:category: currently does. Potentially, the change could also be embedded deeper in the class creation code to avoid that duplication and make the other class creation methods more robust. 
>> I am hesitant, as I am aware that traits have been prevented from being integrated more deeply so far. At the same time, the described missing workflow has already led users to struggle with using traits in the first place. So as they are part of the system I would rather improve their usability. Any other oppinions?
> 
> What are the current use cases for traits?
> Just asking, because I'm not aware of any. And if that's the case in general, then we should remove them.
> Tool support is still incomplete after 10+ years. And the creators (of Traits in general) have moved on 10+ years ago as well (and have abandoned Traits in this form).

That's almost exactly what i've been saying for years now; they were (are) an interesting idea but never got properly supported in any tools and so never got to be used in any meaningful way (that I've ever heard of - I'd love to find I'm wrong) but they do 'cost' us a non-zero amount of work to maintain and keep in the system. Kinda like Environments; sounds like a really good idea, we have a load of stuff in the image that has something to do with them but nothing that makes any easily apparent case for using them. And in my current day-job with VW I am coming to deeply, deeply, despise the implementation therein.


tim
--
tim Rowledge; tim at rowledge.org; http://www.rowledge.org/tim
Useful random insult:- Living proof that nature does not abhor a vacuum.