Morphic! (ans to Jason from previous thread)
My previous attempt to post this was only partially successful. This is the full post. -Jer
Hi Jason,
Thanks for your interest.
Spec means speculation and doing something on spec means you take the responsibility that it might or might not be accepted by the publisher. The other way to do something is on commission where others specify what you are to do but give a garantee that the work will be of use to them and you will be compensated.
As for motivation for morphic work, for me it means the work must be interesting (as defined by my curiosity) lead to something I think elegant in the code and the behavior of the morphs and allow me to learn and grow in my own understanding of squeak, morphic and things larger.
You apparently have the curiosity streak as well.
So answer me this, and I can better advise you.
What would you like to learn from reading the specifications? you thought I had mentioned?
What would you like to be able to do with the knowledge?
Often, instead of specifications, I find it useful to just write down what I want to see squeak do. As vaguely as my initial understanding permits. As briefly as I can fit all my ideas in. And as passionately as the forces of desire inside me wish for the feature to exist.
Oddly, the rest of it is all downhill from there. The specifications become the detailing of the initial statement. The code comes from implementing pieces of the details, testing them and proving they work. The fun comes when the coding process leads to something unexpected and the detail or even the original statement becomes worth rewriting. Incremental design benifits the designer by educating him all along the way. (Look on the web for articles about McReadys gossamer condor.)
Anyway thanks for your response and request. Its been fun writing this.
Yours in curiosity and service, --Jerome Peace
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On 7/26/07, Jerome Peace peace_the_dreamer@yahoo.com wrote:
Morphic! (ans to Jason from previous thread)
[...]
Spec means speculation and doing something on spec
means you take the responsibility that it might or might not be accepted by the publisher. The other way to do something is on commission where others specify what you are to do but give a garantee that the work will be of use to them and you will be compensated.
Ah, I see.
As for motivation for morphic work, for me it means
the work must be interesting (as defined by my curiosity) lead to something I think elegant in the code and the behavior of the morphs and allow me to learn and grow in my own understanding of squeak, morphic and things larger.
You apparently have the curiosity streak as well.
Yes.
So answer me this, and I can better advise you.
What would you like to learn from reading the "specifications?" you thought I had mentioned?
Wel,l I could figure out where morphic is suppost to go, and if it has arrived.
What would you like to be able to do with the
knowledge?
It would make it easier to refactor morphic, because I feel it would be easier to understand.
Often, instead of specifications, I find it useful to
just write down what I want to see squeak do. As vaguely as my initial understanding permits. As briefly as I can fit all my ideas in. And as passionately as the forces of desire inside me wish for the feature to exist.
I would like to have interfaces. I've looked at smallInterfaces and it looks to me a bit messy. I don't have the understand yet, to write my own.
Oddly, the rest of it is all downhill from there. The
specifications become the detailing of the initial statement. The code comes from implementing pieces of the details, testing them and proving they work. The fun comes when the coding process leads to something unexpected and the detail or even the original statement becomes worth rewriting. Incremental design benifits the designer by educating him all along the way. (Look on the web for articles about McReadys gossamer condor.)
I see your point. It that when you are just starting, it helps to know where you are trying to go.
Reading the SELF paper on Morphic, I now have a better idea what morphic is about.
Anyway thanks for your response and request. Its been
fun writing this.
Thank you also. Sorry for the delay. I found it after I did a search.
Regards, Jason
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