[ANN]Draft rough plan for 3.6!

Andreas Raab andreas.raab at gmx.de
Mon Apr 14 16:34:37 UTC 2003


Hi Göran,

Couple of questions:

> 1. We are proposing to kick off 3.6 by applying the package removals
> currently registered on SM.

How will this affect any of the "demo projects" currently in the image?

> 3. Remove the fonts and replace them with... what? We have had
> discussion about using AccuFonts or something else as a 
> better "default" in the image. More discussion on this please.

What's the reasoning behind removing the Apple fonts? As it stands, we have
packages up at SM which allow us to load those fonts we like. Removing the
Apple fonts means introducing a new set of default fonts with all the
problematic effects this implies (for example, formatting, changed look
etc). Also, wouldn't it be more appropriate to consider a set of "rasterized
vector fonts" to ship with Squeak?

> Squeak 3.6 will could be packaged slightly different. One rather
> nice way would be to package in two different zip-files:
> 	1. Basic image + subset of SqueakMap package cache 
> suitable to reach a Full image. This gives the user both the
> Basic image and the ability to easily load a loadscript
> to reach the Full image.

Will this require network access?

> We also postponed deeper digging into ripping apart 
> Sockets/Streams etc since that work is done by Craig
> in the Squat project anyway. 

Is there any information on what the Squat project entails?! I've just been
talking to someone who is interested in "small environments" and I would
like to point to Squat and what's being done in there.

> This means that 3.6 will not reach the "Minimal" image but instead
> take a hefty step towards "Basic" 

Which, to me, seems to be the better goal anyways as "minimal" typically
requires lots of steps to get to "useful" and for most people "useful" is
what counts ;-)

> - that will probably be good enough
> and set the stage for 4.0 and the merge with work done in Squat.

What's the relation between 4.0 and Squat (if any)?

> But do note that we haven't decided that 4.0 is the
> version following immediately after 3.6. But we should
> consider it.

This probably requires some discussion. Speaking with the Croquet hat on, I
am not entirely certain the VI4 changes buy us as much (if anything) as the
rest of the Squeak community. I've heard Anthony saying he's considering
some more changes - is there any status update at this point what we mean
when we talk about "VI4" both in terms of what is going to be changed and
what it will affect besides?

Cheers,
  - Andreas



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