> (4) The distributed files squeak.changes and squeak.image, both around > 10MB, are shipped in binary form. I wonder if there should be source > code to create them initially. (See DFSG.2, "Source Code")
The .changes file contains Smalltalk source code (if the system is not broken!). I think that one can argue that there exists nothing really comparable to the .image files used by Smalltalk-80 systems for other programming languages. Those .image-files exist since at least 25 years and in my opinion they are an important aspect of the Smalltalk-80 way of doing things. In some way it is comparable to a living organism. And - in contrast to most other languages - the Smalltalk parser, compiler and even major parts of the virtual Squeak machine are implemented in Smalltalk and not in another language. >From the man page for Squeak: "The file squeak.image holds the objects representing the entire state of your world, including things such as open windows, a class hierarchy, textual notes, prototype objects, and diagrams. The file squeak.changes holds a log of any program code you have written. Finally, SqueakV*.sources files are symbolic links to system-wide files holding program code that is common to all Squeak worlds." Cheers, Andreas (I am not a Debian developer but first got into contact with Smalltalk-80 in August 1981.) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
