Using Monticello and SqueakSource and distributing packages

Avi Bryant avi at beta4.com
Tue Feb 17 02:04:31 UTC 2004


On Feb 16, 2004, at 5:37 PM, Timothy Rowledge wrote:

> So the next step was to make a .mcz. There is a pathetic little page 
> on the swiki with just barely enough info to create a package.

Have you heard of "minimalist documentation"?  See "The Nurnberg 
Funnel: Designing Minimalist Instruction for Practical Computer Skill" 
(ISBN 0262031639).  Ralph Johnson had me read it for this 
pseudo-Masters program we're doing (no, I'm not kidding).

But, hey, contributions of non-minimal docs would be great.  There are 
probably 20 or so people out there that know the system well enough to 
write something up...

>  Where is TFM for me to R ?  Even though I follwed the minimal 
> guidelines, I seem to have a confused system right now. I created a 
> package, then a repository; the file dialogue confused me into 
> thinking that the {local dir}:package-cache directory was actually a 
> single file ( I think that stupid little 'finder like' dialogues of 
> that sort are a major crime against the UI ghods) so I simply chose my 
> local dir. I now have apparently identical mcz files in BOTH places ie 
>  {local dir}:VMMaker-tpr.2.mcz and {local 
> dir}:package-cache:VMMaker-tpr.mcz that were written with a single 
> 'save' button press. I'm sure that can't be what was intended. And 
> it's probably unhealthy too. Maybe even infectious.

That's actually intentional - the package-cache is meant to be, well, a 
cache, and so any package you touch from any other repository gets 
written there too, and it's the first place the system looks when 
searching for something.  But I see how it could be confusing.

> The MC browser seems a bit confusing. If I have several known 
> repositories, should selecting one of them cause only the packages 
> within it to be shown? Should selecting a package cause it's 
> repository to be highlighted? Or the other reps to disappear? If the 
> two lists are supposed to be fairly independent, I'd venture that they 
> should be displayed in a vertical format to dissociate them a little 
> cognitively. Of course, it's possible that TFM when R'd might make it 
> seem obvious ;-)

Selecting a package causes the repositories in its "repository group" 
to be shown.  With no package selected you see all the available 
repositories.  You can add a repository to a particular package's group 
by bringing up its context menu and choosing "add to package...".
When searching for a particular version of a package, only the 
repositories in its group will be looked at (and the package-cache).

> Now the next question has to be what format should I be using to 
> distribute the VMMaker package? And of course, how do I make it? I've 
> been using a .sar because it allows a preamble/postscript to add 
> temporary methods and cleanup after install.  It appears I can't 
> simply install a .mcz file in the latest 5707 image, so I'm guessing 
> that isn't the answer.

SM2 is going into the update stream, which includes a simple bootstrap 
installer for MC packages.  So when 3.7 is released you will indeed be 
able to load a .mcz into a stock image.

Temporary methods is an interesting use case.  That's not something you 
can do with a .mcz.  What do you need it for?

>  How do I build a .sar from my installed package these days?

I have to defer to Ned on this one.  But I expect SARBuilder makes it 
pretty easy.




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