One recommendation was to simply remove the #new method and thus default to the superclass #new which, if I'm not mistaken, would then result in #new from Behaviour to be invoked and that one does also send #initialize to self.
I think, IIUC, this recommendation only makes sense because BDFFontReader is a direct subclass of Object.
Initially though this recommendation didn't make any sense to me because I didn't know how the implementation of #new in Behaviour is different from strict Smalltalk-80 as I understand it. I.e. originally in Smalltalk-80 #new did not also send #initialize, but now in Squeak it does.
Just for fun I did a search for senders of #basicNew and I found quite a few which are from #new methods in classes which subclass directly from Object and which are in classes that also define their own #initialize method. The curious bit is how some of these #new methods do send #initialize, but not all. I'm guessing some that don't are for abstract classes, but is it true that all are?
Now I read on the WWW that the added sending of #initialize from Behaviour>>new was added in 3.9.
Unfortunately whomever actually did the change failed to document the important differences here, and why! How is it that with such a wonderful system for documenting code we still end up with totally missing documentation? I've now gone on a huge wild goose chase because of this. How many others who have not kept track of how Squeak is evolving away from other Smalltalk-80 implementations will waste similar amounts of time?
I'm guessing that some of the now unnecessary #new methods are simply still not cleaned up since then? If so, why not? They're easy enough to find!
Also, doesn't this still create an _enormous_ portability problem with other Smalltalks?
(BTW, I'm not even sure I buy into any of the other arguments for having default invocation of #initialize, i.e. those beyond the blatant incompatibility with what seems to be _all_ other implementations and _all_ existing documentation about the fundamentals of Smalltalk. I remember naively thinking this would be a good idea way back in the early 80's when I last spent any amount of time fiddling with Smalltalk, and I also seem to remember all the wise gurus around me quietly patting me on the head and telling me that no, such a change would not be welcome, and I should just learn to do things explicitly like they should be done.)
--
Greg A. Woods; Planix, Inc.
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