Dear David and Stephane, Thank you for your replies. David, you make excellent points. I did not know about VW being free and will try it out. And you're certainly right that however much Smalltalk web resources are smaller than Python's, it is certainly a much better environment for learning Smalltalk now than it was 20 years ago. And Stephane, I say 'your' and not 'our' because if my wife found out I got involved in yet another cause on the web, she'd kill me! And also, I can't code in Smalltalk, so I'm very much a spectator. But I did not intend for my original post to be negative. I absolutely believe Pharo is 100% on the right track, and a critical component in a potential Smalltalk resurgence. So I'll keep waiting, and when 1.0 comes out, I'll give it a try again. Kind regards, Robert David Mitchell-6 wrote:
Sorry, I think my intent got lost in my joy for nostalgia.
There was a big Smalltalk party but it ended. Then it was quiet for a while (but the party was underground).
Now, the party is getting started again.
You may just be a little early coming to the second party.
Things you have today that I didn't have in 1994: You can download (Pharo, GNU Smalltalk, Squeak and use it however you like). There are two free, open source, and maintained cross dialect web frameworks: Seaside and AidaWeb (we wrote our own and it paled in comparison) You can use Gemstone for free for small sites. You can use Magma as a free OODB. You can use VW for non-commercial (including to learn Smalltalk). The Squeak list exists. (All I had was comp.lang.smalltalk). Many good Smalltalk blogs. Almost all of the old Smalltalk books are available free as PDF. Many of the new Smalltalk books are available free and from Lulu. Most of the classics can still be bought used on Amazon. James Roberson's smalltalk podcasts. James Robertson's nearly daily Smalltalk screencasts. Randal Schwartz promoting Smalltalk squeak irc channel
On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 1:46 PM, Robert Peters<thewinterlion@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes, you're quite right, David. Â But my point is that my particular situation is representative of everyone who is not currently in the Smalltalk community. Â I posted because I want the Smalltalk community to grow, but it's peak has passed. Â There are no SUGs, there is no Smalltalk magazine, there are no web resources. Â And the Smalltalk community must grow if it is to be taken seriously.
I cannot go back in time and learn it in the 'peak'. Â I must learn it now, with the resources that are available now. Â These resources are lacking.
If a person was equally proficient in Smalltalk and Python, which would they produce better code faster in?
I suspect the answer may be Smalltalk, because of its one, beautiful, paradigm. Â But I, and millions like me, will never know.
I'm hoping Pharo will be the first steps in changing that.
Kind regards, Robert
David Mitchell-6 wrote:
I would insert the phrase "for you" several times into your post. That is, is Python a better language (for me) at this time. Or, was Python an easier language (for me) to learn than Smalltalk.
If you come late enough to the party (and the party is large enough), you can Google for all your answers. Smalltalk's popularity spiked in the early 90s (until Java popped its bubble). You couldn't Google for Smalltalk answers then largely due to the lack of Google ;-).
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