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stic13

Cincom Smalltalk Roadmap

June 12, 2013 13:38:05.991

Gemtalk and Instantiations already did theirs; today it's Cincom's turn, and Arden Thomas is up there giving us the roadmap. Things that are happening that impact both VW and OS:

  • 64 bit VMs revamped
  • Windows 64 bit
  • GC improvements
  • Atomic Loading
  • Delay alternatives
  • Store revamped - now uses Glorp under the covers - improved store "GC"
  • New merge engine, new comparsion tool
  • Latest Seaside integrated
  • Now supports external encryption (lots of interesting issues with the US government on that)
  • Xtreams is moving forward, improvements to Timestamp
  • New webserver (SiouX) in VisualWorks, using xtreams. Should be faster and simpler than old Opentalk based server. Rehosted Seaside and WS* to use this
  • New web app framework, AppeX
    • Modern web framework
    • HTML5, JS, Ajax, JSON, XHR
    • Auto session management
    • Lightweight, flexible
  • Polycephaly has been renamed to MatriX (again, using xtreams)

Future Store improvements

  • Less memory usage
  • Better method source handling
  • Better external file handling
  • Make it faster

Some stuff he won't tell us yet.

Now, ObjectStudio

Improvements to modeling and mapping tool coming. Windows 8 certification coming. Improving fonts, trying to get rid of a lot of the old "done in C" things from ObjectStudio, move them to the image. Unicode support for DB2. Updated and improved ODBC support. There is an ongoing project to improve the widget set in ObjectStudio. Upcoming release will have new GUI work into preview, and will use the VW COM code, which has seen more work recently.

Now the VW specific stuff. Improvements to the Project Launcher. COM updates, including COM 64 bit. Better ActiveX integration. Some JIT improvements on the Unix and Windows platforms, ability to have the MS specific DLLs statically linked to the VM. Skins (native looking widgets, using the images for the platforms for the widgets) is going into preview, updated keyboard handling is coming. Totally revamped command system for that. Much better integration with Macs due to that work. Improved text editor (check out our podcast with Michael Lucas-Smith - part 1 and part 2 on that).

Finally, some demos of the skins work, the editor work, and the AppeX work

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posted by James Robertson

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stic13

ObjectStudio GUI

June 12, 2013 14:37:03.260

Cincom is also working on the ObjectStudio GUI - Andreas Hiltner and Dirk Verleyson are covering that. The main goals are to update the implementation, and surface as much of it as possible into Smalltalk (it's mostly in C now).

The framework is separate from the old stuff - new class at the top mapping to a window, called UIView. Ultimately, this will be integrated with a new GUI designer as well, but that's further out.

Old GUI used GDI, new GUI is using GDI+ (C++ based). Adds some features not in OS - anti-aliasing, floating poit coords, gradient shading, and a lot more. It's got a flat API, so it's accessible from C. It's a business class rendering framework, not a high speed one like DirectX.

Switching from Trigger Events to Announcements. Impemented with tests as well. The rest of the talk went through a demo of what's been done - it looks pretty good so far. Interesting dogfooding aspect of this - Dirk is the first user of it, as he's building tools for ObjectStudio. New API for opening a window is familiar for ObjectStudio - should be easy to migrate to.

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posted by James Robertson

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stic13

STIC 2013 - Audio and Video

June 13, 2013 21:02:36.938

I'll be posting the videos from STIC 2013 to my normal st4u stream - so if you subscribe, or follow me on YouTube, you'll see them there. I'll be posting audio to my normal podcast feed, but that will be interspersed with the podcasts Dave and I do regularly. Expect to see at least one video a week, and the audio a bit less regularly than that.

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posted by James Robertson

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ST 4U 402: VA Smalltalk Roadmap (STIC 2013)

June 14, 2013 14:00:39.745

Today's Smalltalk 4 You is a video from STIC 2013 - John O'Keefe giving the VA Smalltalk roadmap. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

VA Roadmap

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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Enclosures:
[st4u402-iPhone.m4v ( Size: 86365816 )]

posted by James Robertson

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stic13

STIC 2013 Video Home

June 14, 2013 14:29:25.325

I'll be posting all of the videos from STIC 2013 to here on this site, and also to my YouTube channel. If you just want to listen, the audio-only will be showing up in the regular podcast feed, but probably not as fast as the videos will appear.

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posted by James Robertson

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ESUG 2013 Call For Presentations Extended

June 15, 2013 18:46:18.829

From Stef:

We received already many good proposals but we know that you are busy now. So we decided to grant an extension for the call for presentation up 7 of July 2013. We will notify current proposers by the end of the current week -ie: 22.

For more details, just check out the ESUG conference site.

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posted by James Robertson

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IM 130: STIC 2013 Wrap Up

June 16, 2013 21:54:14.693

Welcome to episode 130 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson and David Buck.

This week David and I spoke just after the end of the STIC 2013 conference in Phoenix, Arizona. We discussed each of the talks we saw briefly, then wrapped the whole thing up. The videos from STIC 2013 are appearing on this site, and the audio only from the talks will be appearing periodically in this feed..

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

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[im130.mp3 ( Size: 10080058 )]

posted by James Robertson

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podcastAAC

IM 130: STIC 2013 Wrap Up (AAC)

June 16, 2013 21:57:03.636

Welcome to episode 130 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson and David Buck.

This week David and I spoke just after the end of the STIC 2013 conference in Phoenix, Arizona. We discussed each of the talks we saw briefly, then wrapped the whole thing up. The videos from STIC 2013 are appearing on this site, and the audio only from the talks will be appearing periodically in this feed..

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

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Enclosures:
[im130.m4a ( Size: 13850163 )]

posted by James Robertson

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ST 4U 403: Dart at STIC 2013

June 17, 2013 9:44:26.009

Today's Smalltalk 4 You is a video from STIC 2013 - Alan Knight talking about the Dart language, which has many Smalltalk-ish features to it. Alan has made the slides for this talk available here. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Dart at STIC 13

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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Enclosures:
[st4u403-iPhone.m4v ( Size: 99999463 )]

posted by James Robertson

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Presentations in Smalltalk

June 18, 2013 9:25:22.405

If you want to go "all in", using Smalltalk for your presentation itself, then have a look at Presenty for Pharo

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posted by James Robertson

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ST 4U 404: Dan Ingalls at STIC 2013

June 18, 2013 9:32:17.134

Today's Smalltalk 4 You is a video from STIC 2013 - Dan Ingall's keynote address from the first day of the conference: "A Few of my Favorite Things". If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Dan Ingalls

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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Enclosures:
[st4u404-iPhone.m4v ( Size: 165857540 )]

posted by James Robertson

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The More Things Change....

June 19, 2013 9:18:25.073

The "no one has time anymore" meme isn't new.

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posted by James Robertson

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st4u

ST 4U 405: Stephen Travis Pope at STIC 2013

June 19, 2013 10:08:42.861

Today's Smalltalk 4 You is a video from STIC 2013 - Stephen Travis Pope delivering the second keynote address: "Why I Still use Smalltalk". If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

Stephen Travis Pope

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

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Enclosures:
[st4u405-iPhone.m4v ( Size: 157081649 )]

posted by James Robertson

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games

How Tone Deaf is Microsoft?

June 19, 2013 12:01:15.050

Update: Microsoft must have gotten tired of the constant beat down on this. They've done a 180 on the whole thing.

The "must connect regularly" part is bad enough - the new XBox One consoles are also region locked. So imagine you're a gamer who serves in the military:

"There are multiple problems with Microsoft’s new strategy. You can only play an Xbox One in an approved country. Writing for the Navy Times, Jon Anderson notes: “if you’re based in Japan, Kuwait or Afghanistan, you’re out of luck.” Games are region-locked and region-activated — you can’t buy a game in the US and activate it in Japan. That means no spouses sending games as part of a care package."

The most awesome part of that - MS' response when questioned:

“Fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called Xbox 360. If you have zero access to internet, that is an offline device.” He then independently raised the issue of whether or not Microsoft would support soldiers on deployment with the Xbox One — and stated that they wouldn’t.

You have to ask yourself - for this kind of PR crap storm, what win is Microsoft getting out the other end of this?

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posted by James Robertson

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MS Does a 180 on the XBox One

June 19, 2013 18:02:52.111

Wow:

Microsoft has announced an almost full reversal of the controversial digital rights management features built into the Xbox One. The console, launching later this year, will no longer require an online connection, or need to ping the Microsoft servers every 24 hours to hang on to life. It will also now play discs like any regular console and no longer place restrictions on trading games. There will also be no regional restrictions.

I guess Microsoft got tired of getting a PR beat down from all directions

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posted by James Robertson

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