ESUG, GSoC etc.

[Gilad Bracha]

Hi,

ESUG (European Smalltalk User Group) is applying for support from GSoC (Google Summer of Code). Josh Gargus suggested Newspeak be included in this (under a broad interpretation of "Smalltalk") and the organizers suggested a project to promote Smalltalk-Newspeak code exchange. So I put out the following suggestion:

Title: Newspeak/Smalltalk Import/Export Tool

Description:
Create tooling in the Newspeak IDE that facilitates conversion of code from Smalltalk to Newspeak (import) and from Newspeak to Smalltalk (export).

Technical details: The tool will extend and integrate existing components in Newspeak, such as the Newspeak to Strongtalk compiler that essentially does source-to-source conversion to Smalltalk and spits out file out format for Strongtalk. It is easily adapted to other dialects. One can file in Squeak into the the system, and have tools that semi-automatically migrate  it in stages to Newspeak. These tools need to be made more robust, more sophisticated and better integrated. Adaptations to a number of different Smalltalk dialects beyond Squeak are desirable. Integration of tools such as Grease, Sport or Slime is a possibility.

Benefits to Student: Students will gain experience with technologies such as parser combinators, advanced module systems, mirror based reflection and GUI programming in the context of a IDE as well as exposure to a variety of Smalltalk dialects and to Newspeak and its modularity structures.

Benefits to the Community: increased sharing of software. Newspeak gains from the vast amount of available software in the Smalltalk community, and Smalltalk gains from some of the advances made in Newspeak.
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Now, it isn't clear that GSoC will accept the ESUG proposal. If it does, it pretty certain that not all suggested projects will be funded, and then ESUG will have to choose among them, and it is far from certain that this proposal would be included. So it is a pretty long shot. I just wanted to let people here (who might not be following this on the Smalltalk mailing lists) know about it.

[Gilad Bracha]

An update: ESUG was selected to be part of GSoC 2010. It still is not clear how many projects will be funded, and if the Newspeak related one will be included. But it's progress. FYI.

[Gilad Bracha]

A final update. ESUG was awarded 5 projects. The Newspeak related project was not chosen. It's a pity, but really not that surprising. The interests of the Smalltalk community are very different from Newspeak.  One project that will go forward is intended to produce a standard FFI for Smalltalk. THey will be looking at Aliens in this context, but may well do their own thing. Eliot Miranda is supposed to mentor this, and I hope something useful will come of it.

After enduring a very noisy mailing list for weeks (it feels like months, no, years, millennia even), I'm relieved it's over.
While claiming Newspeak under the ESUG umbrella may have served ESUG well, I am not at all convinced that a close association with Smalltalk is in Newspeak's best interests.  It was worth a try, I suppose, but we won't repeat the experiment with them again. I'd sooner apply to GSoC independently (even with very small chances of getting any support).

FYI.

[davidg]

Could you give a brief background to "The interests of the Smalltalk community are very different from Newspeak", I don't follow ESUG lists.  Although I am a Newspeak newbie, I wrote a lot of production Smalltalk and don't get why you would not want to move on to Newspeak (assuming open source enables Newspeak to prosper even with only a small core of dedicated, talented contributors).  Not trying to start another flame war.