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