[Squeakfoundation]It Takes A Community

[Dave]

Just to make it clear what my intentions are when I suggested SqF could
be based on Apache. I would like to see Squeak be available to
subsequent generations of educators and researchers as well as share the
burden of SqC with respect to evolution and support of Squeak.  While I
have a long commercial Smalltalk history, my agenda now is to use it
(which was what I started off doing before and ended up in a different
place <grin>).

Some thoughts...


- Apache is non-profit company with a well known and respected set of
social
and business protocols. I've already offered to support the legal work
if there is a energetic community with projects. Apache is focused on a 
product which I don't think suites the SqF which should have a mission
of evolution and
creativity while admitting efforts to produce base images, components
etc. SqF should seek to be inclusive in the spirit of Squeak, not
fragment due to different needs. 

- I think we need a leader at the top of the meritocracy and the only
person that the world could easily agree on is Dan Ingalls. "Linus"
Mouse<g>.

-  We need a community that is prepared to work WITHOUT money which is
how
most communities are built. When the discussion begins with money it
usually
goes down hill with community. Communities are usually built during
difficult times when people share a common goal. 

-  A Squeak community needs to encourage diversity so I think it is
important
that StableSqueak, UnStableSqueak, MVCForeverSqueak, MorphicSqueak,
PipSqueak
be thought of as separate projects which are enabled by Squeak rather
than
assume there should be "the Squeak" code base. This allows smaller
communities of interest to exist in SqF. I think one of the problems is
that people are trying to define a Squeak image which leads to boring
and aging artifacts like
ANSI Smalltalk. 

Best Wishes

Dave Thomas
Old Country Programmer and Object Troll