[Help-smalltalk] [patch] explain that namespaces and packages aren't related

[Stephen Compall]

Stephen wrote:
> > Note that, as with Common Lisp, the namespace
> > system is separate from the package loading system, so you still need to
> > load the package.  
> That is a key statement... I don't think I've seen that in the docs or 
> at least not as clear as you've said it.

smalltalk--backstage--2.2--patch-56 also attached.

I'm not sure that saying it explicitly won't just encourage the 
unfortunate mental conflation of package loading and namespaces brought 
on by practice in certain other programming environments, though, so I 
may not be in favor of this patch.

--
;;; Stephen Compall ** http://scompall.nocandysw.com/blog **
But you know how reluctant paranormal phenomena are to reveal
themselves when skeptics are present. --Robert Sheaffer, SkI 9/2003

2007-09-04  Stephen Compall  <address@hidden>

        * doc/gst.texi: Explain that namespaces and packages are not
        related in the namespace documentation.

--- orig/doc/gst.texi
+++ mod/doc/gst.texi
@@ -1215,6 +1215,11 @@
     Namespace current: Smalltalk!
 @end example
 
+Loading a package, even with a @samp{namespace} option, will not
+``import'' the namespace; you must still refer to variables in the
+package as if you had simply filed in the code while in that namespace.
+Namespaces and packages are not related.
+
 Also remember that pool dictionaries are actually ``pool namespaces'',
 in the sense that including a namespace in a pool dictionaries list will
 automatically include its superspaces too. Declaring a namespace as a