bootstrapping and Smalltalk

[Eric Dean Tribble <tribble>]

Junta: v.  to replace an integral part of a running development
environment with a new implementation.  Examples:  replacing the
compiler, new implementations of numbers, alternative user-interfaces,
etc.

PARC actually had several projects evolving software environments.  It
would be interesting to compare the attitudes behind each, and the
kinds of support for changing the system that each provided, and the
quality of the resulting systems.  The smalltalk group, for example,
engaged in 'burning-the-disk-pacs': throwing out old versions and
obsolete implementations of stuff and replacing it with new releases.
They even coined the term 'Junta' for a revolution in the system
classes when they had become too corrupt.  Removing stuff from the
system without removing power was lauded almost as much as adding new
functionality.  Etc.

The InterLisp crowd instead opted for acretion:  once code made it
into the system, it remained.  You could only add new code....
As a result, (IMHO), InterLisp is one of the worst software systems in
the universe.  You can't understand any program that makes use of
another program without understanding the entire filthy system... and
you can't understand the entire filthy system.  InterLisp eventually
died a belated death, strangling on its own ungainlyness.  Me, biased?

As annoying as ParcPlace is, they've continued the tradition of
modular replacement.  Their new release throws out the old and
thouroughly obsolete graphics model and replaces it with an excellent
new design.  They also rebuilt the user-interface framework, and quite
a lot of the rest of the system. 

Hmmm.  This is entirely to interesting a topic for me to continuew
with till after 1st developer release.  See you soo, I hope.

dean