[Cuis] HelpSystem in core vs. external package

[Juan Vuletich]

Hi Casey,

Casey Ransberger wrote:
> Alright then. I've spoken with Torsten about it, and he'll be glad to 
> take any changes we need upstream, so long as we don't degrade the 
> user experience on the other target platforms (i.e. Pharo and Squeak.)
>
> One question: I don't know of a way deal with the PluggableListMorph 
> issue without overriding the method that uses it after loading it into 
> Cuis, except to create a dummy PluggableListMorph which maps the sends 
> to the actual HierarchicalListMorph class. In an external package, I'd 
> probably go that route, but in core it's a bit kludgy for my tastes.
>

What is the "PluggableListMorph issue"? Cuis includes both 
PluggableListMorph and HierarchicalListMorph.

Maybe some protocol is incompatible with Squeak. If that's the case, for 
code to be included in the base Cuis image, the preferred solution would 
be to adapt the code to use Cuis' idioms.

Cheers,
Juan Vuletich

> Well, I guess we could implement the required protocol on 
> HierarchicalListMorph and create a global variable called 
> PluggableListMorph. That also seems kind of yucky. Using a global to 
> solve a problem seems like washing down chocolate with orange juice.
>
> Probably what I'll do is make as many of the necessary changes as 
> possible in the upstream package, and then make the smallest possible 
> changes inside Cuis.
>
> I bring this up hoping someone else has a better idea than the above. 
>
> On Sat, Jan 26, 2013 at 1:35 PM, Germán Arduino <garduino at gmail.com 
> <mailto:garduino at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     +1
>
>     2013/1/26 Juan Vuletich <juan at jvuletich.org
>     <mailto:juan at jvuletich.org>>:
>     > Hi Casey,
>     >
>     > If the code is nice and small (I trust you), then let's
>     integrate it in the
>     > image. Having it at hand will encourage other people to use it
>     to document
>     > both external packages and core functionality.
>     >
>     > Cheers,
>     > Juan Vuletich
>     >
>     > Casey Ransberger wrote:
>     >>
>     >> So I'm looking at a design decision.
>     >>
>     >> Either I port the package on squeaksource (which I take it is
>     the Pharo
>     >> version) as an external package, or...
>     >>
>     >> ???
>     >>
>     >> I'd honestly love to have HelpSystem in "the image we ship."
>     Which is
>     >> currently the "core" but doesn't always have to be. I don't
>     want to go all
>     >> the way back down that rabbit hole today, though, so I'm going
>     to try to be
>     >> on topic here.
>     >>
>     >> I think having a help menu actually *is* a creature comfort
>     that's worth
>     >> investing in. One could argue that "no one ever looks up help"
>     but that's
>     >> just because they're literate, in the conventional sense of
>     "computer
>     >> literacy" which basically boils down to knowing how to surf the
>     web, and use
>     >> Excel and Word; as such, one could also argue that most people
>     aren't doing
>     >> crazy advanced stuff like navigating an object-soup, or
>     especially doing
>     >> open-heart surgery on an object-soup.
>     >>
>     >> HelpSystem is small enough, and Torsten seems willing to take
>     changes,
>     >> that we could probably keep it in core and still keep it up to
>     date.
>     >> Anyhow, I'd like a show of hands about whether or not I should
>     aim for
>     >> internal or external. I'm raising my hand in favor of internal,
>     which isn't
>     >> something I do lightly (for the record!)
>     >>
>     >> The main decision is whether or not to replace
>     PluggableListMorph with
>     >> HierarchicalListMorph and call it a fork (something I'd be more
>     likely to do
>     >> if we integrated it) or map the APIs onto the Cuis Pharo-compat
>     lib (which I
>     >> would *only* do if HelpSystem remained external [we don't have
>     Pharo-compat
>     >> in the core.])
>     >>
>     >> Let me know what I should shoot for, folks.
>     >>
>     >> --
>     >> Casey Ransberger
>     >>
>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>     >>
>     >>
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> -- 
> Casey Ransberger
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