The Weekly Squeak

Squeak version 3.10 has just been released onto the ftp server. This marks the completion of the development effort and gives Squeak developers an opportunity to check compatibility of packages and ports; work is still under way to produce final and fully packaged release files and once this has been completed, the squeak.org images on the Download page will be updated to point to fully packaged versions of this new release. Normal Squeak users are advised to wait for the packaged versions to be made available before upgrading.

The goal of the 3.10 release was to improve the process of making Squeak releases and to improve the quality of the code. The release team concentrated on improving the coverage of unit tests, in making Squeak more modular, and in getting rid of non-core and unsupported code. In addition, many bugs were fixed.

Highlights were:
– Removal of non-core code.
– Consistent use of Monticello to manage package dependencies.
– Use of Package Universes for managing package compatibility issues.
– Bug policy requiring all fixes to include unit tests.
– Image fully tested on Mac OS X Tiger, Windows XP and Simply MEPIS 6.5 Linux.

Thanks to the 3.10 release team including Ralph Johnson, Edgar De Cleene, and the many other Squeakers who contributed ideas, bug-fixes and support. Their work has given us an excellent release, and one which will be a great starting point for eventual progress to 4.0.

Discussions and planning for 3.11 is already beginning on the mailing list, including topics such as:
– the removal of major packages such as eToys and Nebraska to become loadable via Package Universes, and use of MinimalMorphic instead of the full Morphic suite.
– migration to the improved packaging and loading functionality of tools currently under development such as DeltaStreams or Monticello2.
– all code under old licences has been identified, and its replacement will be a priority.
If you have an interest in how Squeak develops in the future, now is the time to have your say!

For more information about this release, see the 3.10 page on the swiki or the welcome notes in the image itself.

[Edited to clarify status of this release]