On 12/01/20 8:54 AM, tim Rowledge wrote:
> Whilst looking at usage of #vmPath it seems we have a potential clash between methods like FileDirectory class>>#openSources:forImage: and SmalltalkImage>>#locateSourcesEntry
> .....
> Now that lot is just plain nuts.

There is too much coupling between Squeak and its host in the 
FileDirectory classes. Squeak (vm+image) is a full-fledged virtual 
machine and should be sandboxed from its underlying host.

Each plugin punches a hole through this barrier. As long as the plugin 
is a consumer of host services (e.g. fonts) it is fine, but if it 
involves writes/updates (like in FileDirectory) sandboxing needs to be 
enforced. For a multi-platform machine like Squeak, leaking 
host-specific details like pathnames or keyboard codes into the image 
should be a big no no.

Earlier, I had proposed that we use symbolic tokens between Squeak and 
its plugins so that host-specific details don't leak into Squeak. We 
could use bookmarks like #vm #sources #image or #prefs etc and let the 
FileDirectory plugin map it to the exact paths.

Regards .. Subbu