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2007-01-16

Chronos on SqueakSource

Chronos is now available from SqueakSource--which, for those who don't know, is an online repository of Squeak-Smalltalk packages stored in Monticello format. Unlike either Envy or StORE, Monticello is a very file-based approach to storing, deploying, loading and versioning packages.

SqueakSource in effect serves as a "central repository" for Monticello package files (which end with the suffix .mcz). For Squeak, it's the only currently available solution (of which I am aware) to the problem of installing a new version of a package into an image without first unloading the prior version. (As as aside, I worked on a deployment/version-control system in the mid-90s, called Harmony, which I got working for both VisualWorks and Squeak. I may disucss that further in a blog post at some point--but not now.)

Chronos on SqueakSource is packaged as 6 separate Monticello packages, which physically are contained in six different *.mcz files. Unfortunately, the package version must be encoded in the filename, so the filename changes with each new version. The 6 packages, and the filenames of their current versions as of this writing (2007-01-17T07:15Z,) are listed below:









Package NameMonticello Filename
PassportPreamblePassportPreamble-B1.5.mcz
PassportPassport-B1.5.mcz
ChronosPreambleChronosPreamble-B1.2.mcz
ChronosChronos-B1.190.mcz
ChronosPostscriptChronosPostscript-B1.4.mcz
ChronosSqueakPost36OnlyChronosSqueakPost36Only-B1.3.mcz


The detailed installation instructions are presented below. They can also be found on the SqueakSource "Wiki" page for the Chronos project. They ought to reside on the main page of the Chronos project on SqueakSource, but since I'm not the administrator, I can't put them there.

Detailed Installation Instructions


First, download the Chronos Time Zone Repository, and install it according to the Chronos installation instructions (which have not yet been updated with any SqueakSource-specific infomration.)

The following packages must be installed in the specified order (and any packages not mentioned should be ignored):

1. Install the package PassportPreamble (The filename will be of the form "PassportPreamble-SV.B.mcz", where "S" is one of "A" (alpha), "B" (Beta) or "R" (Release,) "V" is the major version (release) number, and "B" is the build number.)

2. Install the package Passport (The filename will be of the form "Passport-SV.B.mcz", where "S" is one of "A" (alpha), "B" (Beta) or "R" (Release,) "V" is the major version (release) number, and "B" is the build number.)

NOTE: The first two packages comprise the "Passport" inter-smalltalk portability library that is used by Chronos (and was in fact developed for use by Chronos.) Passport might prove useful for other applications and/or class libraries that need to operate on more than one Smalltalk platform.

3. Install the package ChronosPreamble (The filename will be of the form "ChronosPreamble-SV.B.mcz", where "S" is one of "A" (alpha), "B" (Beta) or "R" (Release,) "V" is the major version (release) number, and "B" is the build number.)

4. Install the package Chronos (The filename will be of the form "Chronos-SV.B.mcz", where "S" is one of "A" (alpha), "B" (Beta) or "R" (Release,) "V" is the major version (release) number, and "B" is the build number.)

5. Install the package ChronosPostscript (The filename will be of the form "ChronosPostscript-SV.B.mcz", where "S" is one of "A" (alpha), "B" (Beta) or "R" (Release,) "V" is the major version (release) number, and "B" is the build number.)

6. IF AND ONLY IF you are installing Chronos in a Squeak image whose version > 3.6, then install the package ChronosSqueakPost36Only (The filename will be of the form "ChronosSqueakPost36Only-SV.B.mcz", where "S" is one of "A" (alpha), "B" (Beta) or "R" (Release,) "V" is the major version (release) number, and "B" is the build number.)

Usually, the package version with the highest version (release) and build number should be chosen (so choose "Chronos-B1.190" over "Chronos-B1.188".)
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WARNING: The initial version, dated 2006-02-19 and labelled "Chronos.B1.15-avi*", is only partially functional, and worse, will break your image if you're using any version of Squeak later than 3.6!


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