Re: MacOS X Port Effort

[gepr]

address@hidden writes:
 > Forgive me, but I am a bit (okay, very) new to Swarm and would like to 
 > get involved in the port to MacOS X since that is my primary OS :-)
 > 
 > I've read over the docs that are available and the mailing list going 
 > back as well as the project page on savannah, but the gist of what I am 
 > getting is that (in laymans terms):
 > 
 > a) MacOS X should be the platform of choice for Swarm.
 > b) Making MacOS X the platform of choice for Swarm requires rewriting 
 > Swarm.
 > c) Rewriting Swarm would be a Good Idea$,1ub(B and would help everyone all 
 > around.
 > d) This is a very long, difficult, and arduous task that no-one wants 
 > to do.
 > 
 > Is that the gist of it?

Yep. [grin]

However, a few qualifications are in order:

b) It shouldn't require a wholesale re-write.  I believe the most
important sections are defobj and collections.  If the APIs can be
preserved for those two, then the refactoring ripple should be
contained.

c) Definitely!  This includes a wholesale rewrite with the lessons
we've learned over the past 7 or 8 years, just a replacement for the
kernel, just a replacement for the ObjC GUI so that it's more amenable
to our multi-language paradigm, and a host of other rewrite efforts.

d) Yep.  However, the SDG is actively seeking enough funding to,
once again, employ full-time people to start on this as well as 
augment the documentation, put more effort into specific user group
meetings (in addition to the one generic meeting "SwarmFest"), etc.
In addition to seeking funding for FTEs, we are trying to put in 
place procedures for distributing development more broadly.

So, this will happen.  It's just a matter of time and resources.  Many
people have already taken the first few steps.  If we can get more
people (like you) to make code changes, do code reviews, check those
changes into Savannah, and do the requisite testing, then it's nowhere
near as daunting a task as has been implied.

glen
-- 
glen e. p. ropella              =><=                           Hail Eris!
H: 831.335.4950                              http://www.ropella.net/~gepr
M: 831.247.7901                               http://www.tempusdictum.com


                  ==================================
   Swarm-Support is for discussion of the technical details of the day
   to day usage of Swarm.  For list administration needs (esp.
   [un]subscribing), please send a message to <address@hidden>
   with "help" in the body of the message.