[Cuis-dev] Package dependencies satisfaction (was Re: Converting Tonel packages)

Fri Aug 30 06:38:32 PDT 2019

Hi Thierry,

On 8/30/2019 8:39 AM, Thierry Goubier via Cuis-dev wrote:
> Hi Chris, David,
>
> thanks guys.
>
> Out of topic, but related. Do package dependencies satisfaction a
> significant issue in development and deployment, and if yes, how that
> could be addressed?
>
> I'm familiar with Metacello/Gofer up to the version ordering
> implementation details and the constraints it brings on the filetree
> implementation; I've seen recently in the golang space this
> (https://blog.golang.org/versioning-proposal) and all the Russ Cox
> blog posts on the subject. How does Cuis stands about that?
>
> Regards,
>
> Thierry

Cuis packages specify their requirements. To avoid hardcoding other 
package names, a package can declare that it provides some 
functionality, For example, VectorGraphics.pck.st includes these lines 
near the start of the file:
!provides: 'VectorGraphics' 1 81!
!requires: 'Color-Extras' 1 nil nil!
!requires: 'Collections-CompactArrays' 1 2 nil!
So, before loading this package, Cuis tries to find some packages that 
provide 'Color-Extras' with  version 1.x of the functionality, and 
'Collections-CompactArrays' with version 1.x, but at least 1.2. This 
package provides 'VectorGraphics' functionality with version 1.81, for 
anyone that could need it (For example loading TrueType fonts).

There's no provision for declaring where to find a package file that 
fullfills a requirement.This is done on purpose, to avoid any dependency 
on github or such.

But if you clone https://github.com/Cuis-Smalltalk/Cuis-Smalltalk-Dev 
and run Cuis there, Cuis can automatically find all the included 
packages. For example, you can evaluate
Feature require: 'BaseImageTests'
And open SUnit to run all the tests written for the base image. Or you 
can evaluate
Feature require: 'CorePackages'
to load all the packages included in the main Cuis repo, with all their 
tests.

Additionally if you run the included clonePackageRepos.sh script, Cuis 
will be able to find all the packages included in all repos of the 
https://github.com/Cuis-Smalltalk GitHub organization. This includes 
most code written for Cuis.

For repos outside the Cuis organization, you need to clone them by hand, 
in a folder where Cuis can find them.

See 
https://github.com/Cuis-Smalltalk/Cuis-Smalltalk-Dev/blob/master/Documentation/CuisAndGitHub.md 
and 
https://github.com/Cuis-Smalltalk/Cuis-Smalltalk-Dev/blob/master/Documentation/AdditionalPackagesForCuis.md

This approach lets us take advantage of most of the functionality 
provided by Git and GitHub (familiarity with the git commandline 
required), without tying the image to them, and without requiring 
additional code in the base image. It has worked well so far.

Thanks,

-- 
Juan Vuletich
www.cuis-smalltalk.org
https://github.com/Cuis-Smalltalk/Cuis-Smalltalk-Dev
https://github.com/jvuletich
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juan-vuletich-75611b3
@JuanVuletich

> Le ven. 30 août 2019 à 07:06, Chris Muller via Cuis-dev
> <cuis-dev at lists.cuis.st>  a écrit :
>> On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 5:41 PM David T. Lewis via Cuis-dev<cuis-dev at lists.cuis.st>  wrote:
>>> Thierry,
>>>
>>> I am a casual user of various git tools in Cuis, Squeak and Pharo,
>>> and your explanation is very helpful for me to understand some of
>>> the tradeoffs.
>>
>> +1 me too.    :)
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Dave
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 12:52:56PM +0200, Thierry Goubier via Cuis-dev wrote:
>>>> Hi Philip,
>>>>
>>>> as someone who has worked a bit on filetree, I'd say there are no
>>>> philosophical differences. Just implementation compromises with the way
>>>> Smalltalk has to deal with the world outside of the image for storing code.
>>>>
>>>> For example, Tonel has been introduced to solve issues with filetree: the
>>>> fact filetree generates too many files creating performance issues with the
>>>> host filesystem implementation (and issues with the poor support of Windows
>>>> long paths in the virtual machines), and losing space because the files are
>>>> small (and that current storage tech has solved its performance issues with
>>>> large files by forcing a large minimum allocation size). Filetree is itself
>>>> a compromise to have a different fit with current version management
>>>> systems (git, for example). As I said, just implementation compromises(*),
>>>> no philosophy behind that.
>>>>
>>>> If there is a philosophical difference, I would say that there is only one:
>>>> declarative or imperative storage format. Traditiional Smalltalk is
>>>> imperative... you don't load code, you execute a program. Newer formats
>>>> like filetree or tonel, or probably the database-oriented ones (VW, Magma)
>>>> are more declarative in nature (but have still imperative parts).
>>>>
>>>> The picture grows more complex if you consider what are version control
>>>> systems. They are in fact databases (even git), so a more natural fit for
>>>> Smalltalk would be an object persistency layer used with code objects (VW,
>>>> again. Gemstone?).
>>>>
>>>> To give you an idea of how that looks, for all formats:
>>>>
>>>> In Smalltalk, you have code as an object graph (class, CompiledMethod
>>>> instances, etc...) with an optimisation to store the text (the sources and
>>>> changes files). When you save, you iterate over that object graph and
>>>> convert it to a file / multiple files. Then you interact with your version
>>>> control system to record the files (either automatically or manually). Then
>>>> your version control system store your changes into a database, as a set of
>>>> objects...
>>>>
>>>> This also explains why you have those Smalltalk to database for storing
>>>> code implementations: avoid that file layer that is extremely annoying.
>>>>
>>>> Thierry
>>>>
>>>> (*) For example, the last version of GitFileTree, a git-enabled filetree,
>>>> never manipulates any files in Smalltalk. Git does file operations but only
>>>> as a kind of user interface layer, to allow users to solve conflicts.
>>>>
>>>> Le jeu. 29 ao??t 2019 ?? 10:26, Philip Bernhart via Cuis-dev<
>>>> cuis-dev at lists.cuis.st>  a ??crit :
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Hernan,
>>>>>
>>>>> could you find out the philosophical differences regarding
>>>>> the "new" package formats like filetree or tonel?
>>>>>
>>>>> If yes, what are they? I'm curious why thinks are supposed to
>>>>> be better the way pharo and visual works (?) went.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks for your time,
>>>>> Philip
>>>>>
>>>>> Hernan Wilkinson via Cuis-dev<cuis-dev at lists.cuis.st>  writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>> well well well, even I do admire you and so on, I would not call it a
>>>>>> date ????????
>>>>>> (we are starting to have fun!!)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, Jul 31, 2019 at 4:44 PM Dale Henrichs via Cuis-dev<
>>>>>> cuis-dev at lists.cuis.st>  wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hernan,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Excellent! It's a date then:)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Dale
>>>>>>> On 7/31/19 12:32 PM, Hernan Wilkinson via Cuis-dev wrote:
>>>>> --
>>>>> Cuis-dev mailing list
>>>>> Cuis-dev at lists.cuis.st
>>>>> https://lists.cuis.st/mailman/listinfo/cuis-dev
>>>>>
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