Issue 3695 in pharo: Redesign AboutBox

Status: Accepted
Owner: [hidden email]
Labels: Milestone-1.3

New issue 3695 by [hidden email]: Redesign AboutBox
http://code.google.com/p/pharo/issues/detail?id=3695

Beside the Pharo number we should display VM infos
in the about box too:

      Smalltalk isRunningCog

We should also display the JIT version (if running Cog):

      Smalltalk getSystemAttribute: 1008

It is also confusing that SmalltalkImage>>aboutThisSystem
uses a "LongMessageDialogWindow" for the about box although
there is a class "AboutDialogWindow" (which is not used) in
the image.

Comment #1 on issue 3695 by [hidden email]: Redesign AboutBox
http://code.google.com/p/pharo/issues/detail?id=3695

Here is the virtual machine status that Seaside displays (in class  
WAVirtualMachineStatus):

renderValuesOn: html
        | image |
        image := SmalltalkImage current.
       
        self renderLabel: 'VM Version' value: (image getSystemAttribute: 1004) on:  
html.
        self renderLabel: 'VM Type' value: ((image vmParameterAt: 40) * 8)  
printString, 'bit' on: html.
        self renderLabel: 'Endianness' value: image endianness on: html.
       
        self renderLabel: 'Image Path' value: (image getSystemAttribute: 1) on:  
html.
       
        self renderLabel: 'Document to Open' value: (image getSystemAttribute: 2)  
on: html.
        self renderLabel: 'VM Options' value: (self vmOptionsFrom: image) on: html.
        self renderLabel: 'Command Line Arguments' value: (self  
commandLineArgumentsFrom: image) on: html.
        self
                renderLabel: 'Builtin Modules'
                value: [
                        html unorderedList list: image listBuiltinModules ]
                on: html.
        self
                renderLabel: 'Loaded Modules'
                value: [
                        html unorderedList list: image listLoadedModules ]
                on: html

Comment #2 on issue 3695 by [hidden email]: Redesign AboutBox
http://code.google.com/p/pharo/issues/detail?id=3695

There is also a menu "System" -> "VM statistics".

Maybe we can easily summarize all this in one dialog text so one can
cut/copy his VM/image configuration in case of trouble and post it to
the list.

So in case of any problem we can easily know
  - which pharo image and update number the user is running
  - which OS platform the user is running
  - which VM he is running on
  - which VM plugins are installed

Comment #3 on issue 3695 by [hidden email]: Redesign AboutBox
http://code.google.com/p/pharo/issues/detail?id=3695

Collecting material:

"Check out SystemReporter on SqueakSource. It's being used in Squeak now
and AFIK should load in Pharo also. Very convenient, and tells you  
everything
you need to know about VM version and lots of other things.

Dave"

Comment #4 on issue 3695 by [hidden email]: Redesign AboutBox
http://code.google.com/p/pharo/issues/detail?id=3695

see also http://code.google.com/p/pharo/issues/detail?id=3546

As the class comment says, the AboutDialog is for application about boxes
and is intended to be subclassed.
Is pretty general, overriding newContentMorph allows for any content
required depending on the desires of
the application author...

Example cs attached.

"typically your main application window, World here for the example..."
World openModal: ReportBuilderAboutDialogWindow new

Regards, Gary

----- Original Message -----
From: <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 7:39 AM
Subject: [Pharo-project] Issue 3695 in pharo: Redesign AboutBox