Allen Wirfs-Brock wrote:
> So what are we trying to accomplish?  Dan listed a set of "desiderata" 
> that I can whole-heartedly support.  However, I would like to step up 
> one level before plunging into the details.

Yes, let us avoid the mad rush into technical details before we have a 
good sense of where we're going.  There are lots of good ideas being 
thrown about, but I'd like to avoid getting sucked into that just yet. 
As I mention in another message, I would like to see more scenarios 
posted, edited, commented upon, etc, to use as motivational examples or 
counter-examples regarding the way we want our system to work.  I have a 
few that I'd like to post before wrangling over technical approaches.

[snip]

> Roughly speaking Components correspond to COM or CORBA objects, DLLs, 
> SLLs in Visual Smalltalk, etc.
> 
> Roughly speaking Modules correspond to Java source files, Envy projects, 
> TEAM/V packages, Smalltalk change sets.
> 
> Modules are all about organizing and managing code, Components are all 
> about composing functionality (behavior).  Modules are used to create 
> components.

[snip]

> (Here is my first crack assignment based upon limited 
> visibility.  Component systems: Environments, OASIS, (I don't really 
> know enough about either but this is my impression) , Pope's selector 
> ideas. Module systems: Pelrine's work, change sets).

I'd definitely agree that Oasis in present form is a component system in 
your scheme.  The Module aspect of that system has not been built, 
although that does not mean that I am without ideas about how that part 
of the system should work.  More on this as we go ;^)

[snip]

> So here's my strawman position: Squeaks needs both a module architecture 
> and a component architecture. They should be designed to be 
> complementary to each other. The module system should stick to 
> development time issues.  The component system should stick to runtime 
> issues.

I very strongly agree with you on this- in fact, I just posted another 
message along those lines ( perhaps not as clearly ).

> Globally, some people should be thinking about how to slice the 
> image into components and modules.

That's a mighty big topic- I'll have to come back to that.

Take care!

- les