Hi,
>>> I care about the media
>>> stuff much more than I can about any of the "traditional squeakers"
>>> topics you mentioned (cgi..).
>> Everybody has a foot in each group but we're not talking about 
>> individuals.
>> We're talking about goals for Squeak.
> Hmm, that wasn't my point, maybe I was too indirect. As I see it, 
> Squeak
> is not about MM, or any other specific direction. It is a platform, a
> place where people start to work to get towards whatever they want.
> Simplicity and understandability is critical for Squeak to be a good
> platform.
>
> The Guides work towards making and keeping the platform viable, so
> everyone else can pursue whatever goals they want. For us as a 
> community
> to choose specifically media, or web stuff, or genetic algorithms, 
> would
> miss the point.

I see it in a little bit similar way. For me, Squeak is a collection of 
ideas. Ideas which take one away
from the all-day dictate whow computers should work or whow should 
programming be performed.
It presents these ideas in a easy to understand way, by beeing a full 
open system and using a easy to learn
language. Squeak is a notation of ideas. It is not a product, say for 
multimedia or for doing anything specific.
It invites to play.

Because of this, for me it is not important if some classes are in 
image or could be loaded be squeak map or must
be downloaded from an ftp server. I make it to my product by creating 
an image as I need.

 From this point, the grouping of squeakes given at beginning of the 
thread seems to me more
- the one who want to have a product
- the one who use squeak as gate  leading to the next ideas (of 
computing)

So, if we want to have a Squeak for using in school and education, we 
take the people interested in and make
our own "product", (the best example ist the german Squeak Deutschland 
foundation)
  and therefore we depend not on any release management from outer 
space. But nevertheless, ideas are welcomed
form everywhere :-)

So from my *private* point of view,  having a set of groups organized 
locally (and of course communicate to each other !),
  interesting in a special aspect of squeak would
be better  for me than looking for a general oll-over instance who say 
what to do.

Have we to fear a lot  of similiar but not so similar Squeaks in the 
world ? I think - with some limitations - no.

As I said, my private view from a squeak fan and beginner.


Greetings

Hans