Re: JNIPort - is there anyone willing to maintain it?

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Dear Thomas,

I definitely do not see the maintenance of JNIPort as enhancing =
Cincom=E2=80=99s products. You wouldn=E2=80=99t consider writing an open =
source application running on MS Windows or an open source library for =
developers who are working on Windows being an =E2=80=9Eenhancement=E2=80=9C=
 of Windows, thus benefiting MS, or would you?

While Cincom was so kind to including it as a contribution in the =
VisualWorks distribution, it has also been available for Dolphin =
Smalltalk, Pharo, and VASt in a long time. JNIPort has always been =
developed completely independently from any of the companies offering =
Smalltalk IDEs.

JNIPort works on VW 8.3, as far as I know, so there=E2=80=99s no work to =
be done at all for making it work for VWNC users. But even if VWNC is no =
longer actively supported by Cincom, there may still be Cincom customers =
who are interested in using JNIPort on one of the more recent =
VisualWorks versions, and who could have an interest in adapting it to =
that version. In such a case, a  JNIPort user=E2=80=99s contribution in =
the form of an update would be uploaded directly to the Cincom public =
repository. I don=E2=80=99t see how this would mean =E2=80=9Ea lot of =
time and effort=E2=80=9C for a potential maintainer of JNIPort apart =
from updating some small parts of the JNIPort documentation.=20

And then, there=E2=80=99s Pharo, which has an active community, and =
which I suspect to have more active users now than Cincom Smalltalk. =
Migrating JNIPort to Pharo 14 with some help from the Pharo community =
shouldn=E2=80=99t be a lot of work.

I am simply looking for someone willing to keep the strings together and =
to prevent that JNIPort accidentally disappears, not someone who invests =
a lot of time and effort in active development. My ideas about the =
maintainer=E2=80=99s role: Someone wants to use it, work has to be done =
to make it work, so they do it themselves and tell the maintainer about =
it, who then updates the docs. Google switches off Google Sites - the =
maintainer moves the documentation to another place. And that=E2=80=99s =
more or less it, unless the maintainer wants to have some fun with =
enhancing JNIPort for some reason, just as I did when I ported it to VW =
and Pharo just because I thought that might be interesting and fun (and =
it was).

Joachim

> Am 24.09.2025 um 19:31 schrieb Thomas Sattler <[email protected]>:
>=20
> Joachim,
>=20
> Cincom has basically abandoned the VWNC distribution.  The "latest" =
version one can obtain without paying for a license is VW 8.3, which was =
released in 2017.
>=20
> it's hard to imagine people spending a lot of time and effort =
enhancing a system that old, when the vendor isn't committed to it.  I'm =
sure Cincom is committed to the paying customers, but why should we help =
with that?
>=20
> --Tom
>=20
>=20
>=20
> On Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 4:36=E2=80=AFAM Joachim Geidel =
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>> Dear fellow Smalltalkers,
>>=20
>> JNIPort is an interface from Smalltalk to the Java VM which was =
originally developed by Chris Uppal for Dolphin Smalltalk. It enables =
Smalltalk applications to use software written in Java seamlessly, =
locally and with low overhead, without resorting to network based =
interfaces like e.g. using microservices. Documentation is at =
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://sites.google.com/site/jniport/__;!!DZ3=
fjg!9JVpDqpxcqz6oMahTzP21-BTpfMxRHsi1HUS30Yd6Gm-8j4kRcgBOLmg6z342WonIj_duR=
g_d-WBWHHLFGX2ohB5doAnD8eNKbqwGQFahg$ .
>>=20
>> I have ported JNIPort to VisualWorks and Pharo, and Ben van Dijk, =
Adriaan van Os and Rolf van der Vleuten have ported it to VASt =
(https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://vastgoodies.com/projects/JNIPort__;!!=
DZ3fjg!9JVpDqpxcqz6oMahTzP21-BTpfMxRHsi1HUS30Yd6Gm-8j4kRcgBOLmg6z342WonIj_=
duRg_d-WBWHHLFGX2ohB5doAnD8eNKbql_CqFlw$ ).
>>=20
>> The last time I really worked on JNIPort was in 2014, if I remember =
correctly. Now that I am retired and haven=E2=80=99t written a single =
line of Smalltalk code in five years, I am wondering if there is anybody =
willing to take over.
>>=20
>> I haven=E2=80=99t had any enquiries about JNIPort since 2020, so the =
task would be easy:
>> - Take over ownership of the documentation site.
>> - Possibly move the source code for the Pharo version to Gitlab (it =
is still in the ancient SmalltalkHub repository).
>> - Optionally integrate any changes from JNIPort users, e.g. when they =
adapt it to more recent versions of VisualWorks or Pharo. There hasn't =
been any community input since 2017 (or was it 2019?).
>>=20
>> If nobody takes over, then JNIPort will be one of the many abandoned =
open source projects and disappear sooner or later when SmalltalkHub, =
the Cincom Public Repository and the documentation site are switched =
off.
>>=20
>> On the other hand, I do not know if there is actually anybody using =
JNIPort. If it has no users, there is no harm in its disappearance, and =
maintaining it would be a waste of time.
>>=20
>> Cheers
>> Joachim Geidel


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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dutf-8"></head><body style=3D"overflow-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;">Dear =
Thomas,<div><br></div><div>I definitely do not see the maintenance of =
JNIPort as enhancing Cincom=E2=80=99s products. You wouldn=E2=80=99t =
consider writing an open source application running on MS Windows or an =
open source library for developers who are working on Windows being an =
=E2=80=9Eenhancement=E2=80=9C of Windows, thus benefiting MS, or would =
you?</div><div><br></div><div>While Cincom was so kind to including it =
as a contribution in the VisualWorks distribution, it has also been =
available for Dolphin Smalltalk, Pharo, and VASt in a long time. JNIPort =
has always been developed completely independently from any of the =
companies offering Smalltalk IDEs.</div><div><br></div><div>JNIPort =
works on VW 8.3, as far as I know, so there=E2=80=99s no work to be done =
at all for making it work for VWNC users. But even if VWNC is no longer =
actively supported by Cincom, there may still be Cincom customers who =
are interested in using JNIPort on one of the more recent VisualWorks =
versions, and who could have an interest in adapting it to that version. =
In such a case, a &nbsp;JNIPort user=E2=80=99s contribution in the form =
of an update would be uploaded directly to the Cincom public repository. =
I don=E2=80=99t see how this would mean =E2=80=9Ea lot of time and =
effort=E2=80=9C for a potential maintainer of JNIPort apart from =
updating some small parts of the JNIPort =
documentation.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>And then, there=E2=80=99s =
Pharo, which has an active community, and which I suspect to have more =
active users now than Cincom Smalltalk. Migrating JNIPort to Pharo 14 =
with some help from the Pharo community shouldn=E2=80=99t be a lot of =
work.</div><div><br></div><div>I am simply looking for someone willing =
to keep the strings together and to prevent that JNIPort accidentally =
disappears, not someone who invests a lot of time and effort in active =
development. My ideas about the maintainer=E2=80=99s role: Someone wants =
to use it, work has to be done to make it work, so they do it themselves =
and tell the maintainer about it, who then updates the docs. Google =
switches off Google Sites - the maintainer moves the documentation to =
another place. And that=E2=80=99s more or less it, unless the maintainer =
wants to have some fun with enhancing JNIPort for some reason, just as I =
did when I ported it to VW and Pharo just because I thought that might =
be interesting and fun (and it =
was).</div><div><br></div><div>Joachim</div><div><div><br><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><div>Am 24.09.2025 um 19:31 schrieb Thomas Sattler =
&lt;[email protected]&gt;:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><div><div =
dir=3D"ltr">Joachim,<div><br></div><div>Cincom has basically abandoned =
the VWNC distribution.&nbsp; The "latest" version one can obtain without =
paying for a license is VW 8.3, which was released in =
2017.</div><div><br></div><div>it's hard to imagine people spending a =
lot of time and effort enhancing a system that old, when the vendor =
isn't committed to it.&nbsp; I'm sure Cincom is committed to the paying =
customers, but why should we help =
with&nbsp;that?</div><div><br></div><div>--Tom</div><div><br></div><div><b=
r></div></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div =
dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Wed, Sep 24, 2025 at 4:36=E2=80=AFAM =
Joachim Geidel &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>&gt; =
wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px =
0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid =
rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Dear fellow Smalltalkers,<br>
<br>
JNIPort is an interface from Smalltalk to the Java VM which was =
originally developed by Chris Uppal for Dolphin Smalltalk. It enables =
Smalltalk applications to use software written in Java seamlessly, =
locally and with low overhead, without resorting to network based =
interfaces like e.g. using microservices. Documentation is at <a =
href=3D"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://sites.google.com/site/jniport/=
__;!!DZ3fjg!9JVpDqpxcqz6oMahTzP21-BTpfMxRHsi1HUS30Yd6Gm-8j4kRcgBOLmg6z342W=
onIj_duRg_d-WBWHHLFGX2ohB5doAnD8eNKbqwGQFahg$" rel=3D"noreferrer" =
target=3D"_blank">https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://sites.google.com/sit=
e/jniport/__;!!DZ3fjg!9JVpDqpxcqz6oMahTzP21-BTpfMxRHsi1HUS30Yd6Gm-8j4kRcgB=
OLmg6z342WonIj_duRg_d-WBWHHLFGX2ohB5doAnD8eNKbqwGQFahg$</a> .<br>
<br>
I have ported JNIPort to VisualWorks and Pharo, and Ben van Dijk, =
Adriaan van Os and Rolf van der Vleuten have ported it to VASt (<a =
href=3D"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://vastgoodies.com/projects/JNIPo=
rt__;!!DZ3fjg!9JVpDqpxcqz6oMahTzP21-BTpfMxRHsi1HUS30Yd6Gm-8j4kRcgBOLmg6z34=
2WonIj_duRg_d-WBWHHLFGX2ohB5doAnD8eNKbql_CqFlw$" rel=3D"noreferrer" =
target=3D"_blank">https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://vastgoodies.com/proj=
ects/JNIPort__;!!DZ3fjg!9JVpDqpxcqz6oMahTzP21-BTpfMxRHsi1HUS30Yd6Gm-8j4kRc=
gBOLmg6z342WonIj_duRg_d-WBWHHLFGX2ohB5doAnD8eNKbql_CqFlw$</a> ).<br>
<br>
The last time I really worked on JNIPort was in 2014, if I remember =
correctly. Now that I am retired and haven=E2=80=99t written a single =
line of Smalltalk code in five years, I am wondering if there is anybody =
willing to take over.<br>
<br>
I haven=E2=80=99t had any enquiries about JNIPort since 2020, so the =
task would be easy:<br>
- Take over ownership of the documentation site.<br>
- Possibly move the source code for the Pharo version to Gitlab (it is =
still in the ancient SmalltalkHub repository).<br>
- Optionally integrate any changes from JNIPort users, e.g. when they =
adapt it to more recent versions of VisualWorks or Pharo. There hasn't =
been any community input since 2017 (or was it 2019?).<br>
<br>
If nobody takes over, then JNIPort will be one of the many abandoned =
open source projects and disappear sooner or later when SmalltalkHub, =
the Cincom Public Repository and the documentation site are switched =
off.<br>
<br>
On the other hand, I do not know if there is actually anybody using =
JNIPort. If it has no users, there is no harm in its disappearance, and =
maintaining it would be a waste of time.<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
Joachim Geidel</blockquote></div>
</div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>=

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