Skip to content

First beta release (v0.1)
Compare
Choose a tag to compare
@github-actions github-actions released this 09 Jul 01:32
· 235 commits to main since this release
v0.1
40ec866
This commit was created on GitHub.com and signed with GitHub’s verified signature. The key has expired.
GPG key ID: 4AEE18F83AFDEB23
Expired
Learn about vigilant mode.

Squeak Inbox Talk - bringing squeak-dev into your image

Today I'm announcing a new tool that aims to make the Squeak development cycle a bit easier for all involved parties. Introducing Squeak Inbox Talk, which allows you as Squeak contributors and maintainers to review and discuss new features for Squeak directly in your image!

Many Squeakers have experienced the following troubles in the past:

  1. Tedious navigation on the list: Where has this patch gone? Can someone remember where we were discussing this funky thing recently?
  2. High entry barrier for new contributors: You need to sign up on the mailing list to follow discussions.
  3. Hard review process: Notifications and discussions appear in your email client, but if you want to check out some code, you will switch to your image, of course.

In the last months, I have been trying to solve these and other issues. Squeak Inbox Talk allows you to interact with all relevant artifacts right in Squeak, including emails as well as Monticello contributions. It comes with a free-text search and several powerful filters for aspects such as packages, review state of a contribution, and your personal involvement. These filters should make it easier to survey certain domains, gain a better understanding of the connection between inbox versions, or keep track of your own proposals.

Please give it a try and return feedback! As one possible starting point, you could search for "terminate" to recapitulate Jaromir Matas's recent efforts on Process. For further information, you can read the official announcement on the mailing list here: [ANN] Squeak Inbox Talk - bringing squeak-dev into your image.

Installation

  1. Install the latest Trunk updates

  2. Do it:

    Metacello new
 	baseline: 'SqueakInboxTalk';
 	repository: 'github://hpi-swa-lab/squeak-inbox-talk:main';
 	load.

  3. After the installation, in the main docking bar, choose "Squeak Inbox Talk" from the Apps menu, click Refresh, and there you go!

Alternatively, you can download a ready-to-use image from the release assets below.
This repository also provides further information, including a project board and some theoretical background.
Your feedback is especially helpful for my research before 2021-07-19 (but still appreciated later very much).

How does it work?

Basically, Squeak Inbox Talk is implemented by reusing and assembling together the following existing solutions: Squeak History, a project originally developed by Marcel (mt) that scrapes and processes all mailing list conversations from the pipermail archives; the SMTPClient in Squeak for sending messages; and the Monticello infrastructure, which remains the heart of our development workflow. Optionally, further components such as IMAPClient might follow later. On top of this, Squeak Inbox Talk adds a convenient layer for exploring and filtering conversations and contributions.

Assets 3
Loading