Some feature requests for D6

Hi...

as it seems that Dolphin6 is coming somewhere in about this years second
quarter, I would like to put some (small) feature requests:

1. I would appreciate a "Copy class" feature very convenient. I frequently
want to try out different ideas and discard all but the best a while later.
Now, I always have to copy all methods by hand to my other candidate, which
is annoying.

2. Please make the conversion of numbers with radices other than 10, e.g.
16rFF, to decimal  optional on code formatting (or don't do it at all).
16rFF00FF is much more readable than 16711935 for example.

3. From my early smalltalk days: Please warn if one tries to overwrite a
system global in a workspace.
E.g. Object := nil. is easily typed but kills the image. You should probably
make it an optional check, but enable it on the initial image.

4. Integrate SmallLintBrowser with the base system (it is not necessary to
deliver an AIBO, though ;-).


Otherwise, keep it as stable and cool as it is already!

My two cents...

Ciao

...Jochen

Jochen,

I'm not sure if you're aware of the following so I thought it worth a
mention...

> 1. I would appreciate a "Copy class" feature very convenient. I
> frequently want to try out different ideas and discard all but the
> best a while later. Now, I always have to copy all methods by hand to
> my other candidate, which is annoying.

If you drag/drop the "All" category from the old class to the new
(remembering to do both the class and instance side) then this automatically
copies all the methods in one quick operation.

--
Ian

> If you drag/drop the "All" category from the old class to the new
> (remembering to do both the class and instance side) then this
automatically
> copies all the methods in one quick operation.

Wow, this IS nice. It is not quite as nice as "Copy class" refactoring but
much faster than copying all methody by hand.

Thanks a lot!

Ciao

...Jochen

"Jochen Riekhof" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:[hidden email]...
> Hi...
>
> as it seems that Dolphin6 is coming somewhere in about this years second
> quarter, I would like to put some (small) feature requests:

Ohh, this is truely novel approach! Usually we try to fish out some kind of
release schedule from Andy or Blair, but this so much better, we start
mentioning dates by ourselves and let them cope with them ;)) Especially
since Andy and Blair has grown resistant to our usual set of trick like
questions "Andy I am planning my garderobe, so do you think that Dolphin-xyz
T-shirt will have long or short sleeves" :)

rush
--
http://www.templatetamer.org/

Jochen Riekhof wrote:

Before releasing Dolphin 6 they should release the documentation for Dolphin
5! IMO it is a shame that Object Arts is not able to release it for months.
I am very disappointed...

SCNR,
Andreas

Adreas,

> Before releasing Dolphin 6 they should release the documentation for
Dolphin
> 5! IMO it is a shame that Object Arts is not able to release it for
months.
> I am very disappointed...

I suspect it's more a matter of priority than ability.  IIRC, they mentioned
something about a problem with conversion into either the new MS help format
or a precursor step.  The ability to search the compiled help is nice, but I
found the HTML a lot more useful on whole, especially with the excellent
work that Ian brought to DSDN for searching loose HTML files.  Loose files
would also skip at least some of the problems, and if screen shots got a
little out of date, then people noticing it could submit updates via email
for OA to (at their discretion) incorporate in updates.

Have a good one,

Bill

--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]

"Bill Schwab" <[hidden email]> escribió en el mensaje
news:b11lnn$crk$[hidden email]...
> Adreas,
>
> > Before releasing Dolphin 6 they should release the documentation for
> Dolphin
> > 5! IMO it is a shame that Object Arts is not able to release it for
> months.
> > I am very disappointed...
>
> I suspect it's more a matter of priority than ability.  IIRC, they
mentioned
> something about a problem with conversion into either the new MS help
format
> or a precursor step.  The ability to search the compiled help is nice, but
I
> found the HTML a lot more useful on whole, especially with the excellent
> work that Ian brought to DSDN for searching loose HTML files.  Loose files
> would also skip at least some of the problems, and if screen shots got a
> little out of date, then people noticing it could submit updates via email
> for OA to (at their discretion) incorporate in updates.

Bill,

    I do think that you get an inportant point here, and it is the more
viability to be collaborative with the comunity aspect of develop process.
This is documentation.

    Closed help documentation could be fine, but if HTML make it easier to
maintain, with this ammount of new ideas, tips, FAQs, by time unit, I think
that html could be better. By the way, thanks to the Rush tip I'm learning a
lot from the wiki :)

    best regards

Seb

Rush,

> > as it seems that Dolphin6 is coming somewhere in about this years second
> > quarter, I would like to put some (small) feature requests:
>
> Ohh, this is truely novel approach! Usually we try to fish out some kind
of
> release schedule from Andy or Blair, but this so much better, we start
> mentioning dates by ourselves and let them cope with them ;)) Especially
> since Andy and Blair has grown resistant to our usual set of trick like
> questions "Andy I am planning my garderobe, so do you think that
Dolphin-xyz
> T-shirt will have long or short sleeves" :)

:-)

Best Regards,

Andy Bower
Dolphin Support
http://www.object-arts.com
---
Are you trying too hard?
http://www.object-arts.com/Relax.htm
---

> Ohh, this is truely novel approach! Usually we try to fish out some kind
of
> release schedule from Andy or Blair, but this so much better, we start
> mentioning dates by ourselves and let them cope with them ;)) Especially
> since Andy and Blair has grown resistant to our usual set of trick like
> questions "Andy I am planning my garderobe, so do you think that
Dolphin-xyz
> T-shirt will have long or short sleeves" :)

HTH ;-)

Ciao

...Jochen

It's great to hear the D6 will be released at the end of March; I would like
to add a feature to the wishlist: real breakpoints. I miss this feature from
VAST.

Alan R.

:)

On Tue, 28 Jan 2003 03:15:17 GMT, ar <[hidden email]> wrote:

>It's great to hear the D6 will be released at the end of March;

For anyone joining the thread late, just joking :)

Alan

> >It's great to hear the D6 will be released at the end of March;

End of march is also fairly aggressive interpretation of "somewhere in about
this years second quarter" ;-)

Ciao

...Jochen

"Jochen Riekhof" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:[hidden email]...
> Hi...
>
> as it seems that Dolphin6 is coming somewhere in about this years second
> quarter, I would like to put some (small) feature requests:
>
> 1. I would appreciate a "Copy class" feature very convenient. I frequently
> want to try out different ideas and discard all but the best a while
later.
> Now, I always have to copy all methods by hand to my other candidate,
which
> is annoying.

As Ian says, you can drag whole categories of methods, including 'All'. You
could also create a subclass :-).

>
> 2. Please make the conversion of numbers with radices other than 10, e.g.
> 16rFF, to decimal  optional on code formatting (or don't do it at all).
> 16rFF00FF is much more readable than 16711935 for example.

The revised RB parser and formatter which maintain the format of numeric
literals is already part of D6, so rest assured your carefully formatted
numbers will stay as you intended.

>
> 3. From my early smalltalk days: Please warn if one tries to overwrite a
> system global in a workspace.
> E.g. Object := nil. is easily typed but kills the image. You should
probably
> make it an optional check, but enable it on the initial image.

We could certainly add an enhancement request for that, but whether it gets
done will depend on the amount of effort involved.

>
> 4. Integrate SmallLintBrowser with the base system (it is not necessary to
> deliver an AIBO, though ;-).

We plan to include the CodeMentorPlugin in D6 pro:
http://object-arts.com/Lib/Downloads/5.0/CodeMentor.png

>
> Otherwise, keep it as stable and cool as it is already!

Thanks

Blair

> As Ian says, you can drag whole categories of methods, including 'All'.
You
> could also create a subclass :-).

Not exactly, as messing in one try then can affect the other(s).

>We plan to include the CodeMentorPlugin in D6 pro:
>http://object-arts.com/Lib/Downloads/5.0/CodeMentor.png

Wow! So is the Aibo included or optional ad-on? ;-)

Ciao

...Jochen

"Jochen Riekhof" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:[hidden email]...
> > As Ian says, you can drag whole categories of methods, including 'All'.
> You
> > could also create a subclass :-).
>
> Not exactly, as messing in one try then can affect the other(s).

Yes, modifications to the superclass would then affect the others, but
normally when using this technique one copies down the bits one wants to
modify to the experimental subclass.

>
> >We plan to include the CodeMentorPlugin in D6 pro:
> >http://object-arts.com/Lib/Downloads/5.0/CodeMentor.png
>
> Wow! So is the Aibo included or optional ad-on? ;-)

Although there is the precedent of British car manufacturers (mostly no long
with us) selling products for significantly less than what they cost to
make, we aim to make a only a small loss on each of copy of Dolphin sold. I
don't think even we could manage to accommodate a $1000 loss per copy for
long, so you can assume it will be an optional extra :-)

Regards

Blair

Jochen,

> > >We plan to include the CodeMentorPlugin in D6 pro:
> > >http://object-arts.com/Lib/Downloads/5.0/CodeMentor.png
> >
> > Wow! So is the Aibo included or optional ad-on? ;-)
>
> Although there is the precedent of British car manufacturers (mostly no
long
> with us) selling products for significantly less than what they cost to
> make, we aim to make a only a small loss on each of copy of Dolphin sold.
I
> don't think even we could manage to accommodate a $1000 loss per copy for
> long, so you can assume it will be an optional extra :-)

On a *slightly* more serious note, the CodeMentor in Dolphin 6 actually has
the ability to broadcast its acerbic comments on your code to any object
that provides an MS agent compatible interface.  In the (now infamous) Aibo
demo, the code that drove the robot dog merely presented such an interface
to the CodeMentor.  This means that, even if you can't afford an Aibo of
your very own, we do have a piece of code that will sit in its place and
drive any of the standard MS agent characters.  It's quite groovy having a
little dog (the Max character) sitting at the bottom corner of your screen
moaning about a "missing yourself at the end of the cascade sequence".

Best Regards,

Andy Bower
Dolphin Support
http://www.object-arts.com
---
Are you trying too hard?
http://www.object-arts.com/Relax.htm
---

I wondered that Dolphin is lack some sort of inference engine interface
inborn, to make it be AI-able as handy and convenient as the Scheme ( which
Steve've ported, though as a toy he said) or prolog shell afford  for quick
implementation
of any serious AI-oriented task force. At present, Steve's Scheme package is
a good stuff to start with, and maybe worthy of integrated inside, as an
environment-oriented shell-like goodies ( Prolog in Smalltalk/V etc).
It would add more enhanced and limitless logic and inference power to
Dolphin.. I think. :-)


Hope is priceless.


Best regards.
Tsun-kuo Kuo

"Blair McGlashan" <[hidden email]> wrote in
news:b162tm$vo34p$[hidden email]:

[neat stuff]

Could you stop this, please? I'd just about convinced myself that this time I wouldn't upgrade
and would give up (reluctantly) on Smalltalk as my "play" language at home, and now you
promise so many neeat changes I may have to re-consider :-)

(A .NET version would make it certain I'd upgrade, BTW)

P.

Paul Hudson wrote:

> (A .NET version would make it certain I'd upgrade, BTW)

I'm a bit weak on what .net implies. Would a .NET version imply a free
ride onto the WinCE platform? I'm using Pocket Smalltalk on the Palm
right now, and it's a bit unfinished and a bit quirky, but it's so much
better than coding in C/C++.

> P.



                                Steve

"ar" <[hidden email]> wrote in message
news:[hidden email]...
> It's great to hear the D6 will be released at the end of March; I would
like
> to add a feature to the wishlist: real breakpoints. I miss this feature
from
> VAST.

There is a commercial add-on called Tools+ (
http://www.solutionsoft.co.uk/toolsplus/ ) that adds some more advanced
break point capabilities, see
http://www.solutionsoft.co.uk/toolsplus/method_spies1.htm .  What I
personally like most about it is the dynamic source highlighting as you
type, it makes it easy to spot misspelled method names quickly.  I have not
used the advanced debugging features as much yet, though the "step into
block" feature is great!

Chris