=> 5/29/01 4:21:13 PM EDT, crosby at qwes.math.cmu.edu =>
<< First, squeak has a 'binary' format for changesets and projects. This
 format is supposed to be portable between all of squeaks platforms. The
 fact that this format is ASCII text with Mac line-ending conventions
 doesn't change the fact that it is intended to be a binary output. >>

This is not quite correct. ChangeSets are in a form known as "chunk" form, a 
text form described by Glenn Krasner, and described in the 'Green' book. 
Unfortunately, no specific definition of line-ends was made in that 
description. (It is of some small amusement to realize that the format was 
developed by Glenn as somewhat of an after-thought. The intention of early 
Smalltalk developers was to distribute Smalltalk function predominately by 
means of images.). The source contained  in .changes and .sources is in (two 
different) moderately compressed forms, which though they are text (& binary) 
based, break rather dramatically when the line-ends are messed with. With 
ChangeSets, the problem is more pernicious than deadly.

The problem has been going on since the mid-80's, as soon as Intel and Mac 
based Smalltalks were derived (perhaps even earlier), and individual 
Smalltalkers began using platform specific editors to access the Chunk file 
input/outputs. It is fairly standard in Smalltalk circle to fileOut a Class 
or Class Category (or other large segment of a system) and print it out for 
hard-copy study. These will all be in Chunk format.

Recent attempts to define requirements for Squeak submissions are an 
administrative attempt to solve certain problems, but does not change the 
LF/CR problems. A .tar.gz file can contain any of the possible line-ends. In 
actual practice, creating new code from old code, a typical practice, simply 
results occasionally in ChangeSets having all possible combinations of 
line-ends within a single fileOut.

There has been more heat / less light to this topic than any other. It has 
also endured longer than any other misery. 

Regular use of 'remove line feeds' in FileList browsers should be done by any 
who intend to made Chunk file submissions.

Cheers,
Jerry.

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Jerry L. Archibald
systemObjectivesIncorporated
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