Integrating NetStreams into the official Squeak release

[Craig Latta]

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 at netjam.org
www.netjam.org
Smalltalkers do: [:it | All with: Class, (And love: it)]