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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