Version 2 of Smalltalk

Smalltalk [L1 ] is a pure object environment and programming language. Read the link to learn more.

Smalltalk is the oldest mature pure object oriented language. It is genial simple, has only a few keywords. Similar to Tcl the control structures are not part of language.

Almost all good things known in new hype-languages comes from Smalltalk. That is

virtual machine
garbage collector
reflection (intospection)
dynamic object system (object can change the class, metaclasses)

Also many popular program-techniques was developed under Smalltalk first. That is Extreme Programming (with Unit-tests), Refactoring Tools, Visual Programing, MVC (Model View Controler)

Smalltalk has also good designed standard libraries (Collections, Process Controll, IO).

Why is not Smalltalk the first most popular objectoriented program language? The reasons could be:

for 30 years computers were too slow for virtual machines
the first smalltalk systems was too expensive for normal folk.
smalltalk was too closed (not open) to another systems or languages.
has no types. Some managers belive that typed-languages can save them from ignorance.
it is too mature for making big money with consulting.

XOTcl is objectoriented extension for Tcl that has some characteristics from Smalltalk. It is also dynamic and has metaclasses and also have the same feeling.

[ Category Language | Category Object Oriented | ]