Hi Luciano--
Any progress?
Yes! I'm just about done packaging Flow 2 alpha for release. It's tricky, because there are several places where file-in ordering is critical. I got tired of editing fileouts manually in a text editor, so I'm actually dividing the release into as many change sets as necessary to accomodate the sequencing.
Because there are so many change sets involved (29 so far, there used to be four), I've created an "installable archive" format. This enables the release to take the form of a single file. It's basically a normal ZIP archive of all the files, with a Smalltalk expression at the beginning which does the right thing with the ZIP bits after it. I think it'll work pretty well.
Is it possible (and reasonable) to modify the ExternalStreams and ExternalResources in order to load them in an image with the standard Streams?
It's doable, but a lot of work, and I'd rather not do it, since Flow 2a installs without interfering with the old streams/sockets. I'm still hoping to get people using NetStreams via Flow 2a, and then later just remove the old streams/sockets.
...the next step will be removing Socket and refactoring FTPSocket, HTTPSocket and SMTPSocket into FTPClient, HTTPClient, and SMTPClient.
Yeah, that part will be fun. :) I think we'll be able to start on that this week.
...I offer my spare time for anything you need to get this done.
Thanks! After I get Flow 2a out, I think we should just make a list of all the internet protocols we want to use, then divide them up and implement them.
Thanks for your patience... I'm fitting coding in between unexpected summer travelling. :) I think it'll be another few days (hopefully before I travel again on Thursday, to DEFCON).
-C
-- Craig Latta improvisational musical informaticist craig@netjam.org www.netjam.org Smalltalkers do: [:it | All with: Class, (And love: it)]