September 2025 - Pharo-users

EXIF / JPEG metadata
by Alistair Grant Nov. 30, 2025

Nov. 30, 2025

Hi Everyone, As far as I can tell, JPEGReadWriter in Pharo 7 doesn't read (or write) the image metadata, e.g. title, keywords, exposure time, etc. Is anyone aware of a package that does? Thanks! Alistair

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Pharo and AI: A Natural Fit for the Future
by Kasper Osterbye Nov. 7, 2025

Nov. 7, 2025

Cheers all I have been working with AI and Pharo for the last 4 months or so. I have primarily been using ChatGPT, Gemini and Mistral. Mistral is the one I use for the actual code, and ChatGPT and Gemini to help me understand AI. Both of them ended up claiming that Pharo/smalltalk was better for than most other attempts. So I asked it them to summarize their view on the issue. They both saw this, and had no further improvements. Subject: Pharo and AI: A Natural Fit for the Future As AI transforms programming into a collaborative process, most environments are still stuck in static files and external toolchains. But Pharo is different. Itâs already a living system â dynamic, reflective, and always running. In Pharo, AI can talk to objects, not just parse text. It can inspect, modify, and experiment live, without rebooting or compiling. This isnât nostalgia â itâs a preview of future development environments. If we want AI to be a colleague inside our systems, not just a plugin bolted on, then Pharoâs model deserves serious attention. Full conversation and reasoning in the appendix. Best, Kasper ## Kasper: OK, so here are two things I would like to ask you. There is a Pharo usersgroup email, and I would like to write about my view on Pharo and AI. So there are 2 elements I would like to have from you (answered in English). 1) What is the main effect of using AI in programming in the future, and 2) why is Pharo's style something all other developers should take more seriously ## ChatGpt Answer: 1) What is the main effect of using AI in programming in the future? The future of programming will not be about writing code line-by-line â it will be about collaborating with intelligent agents that understand, suggest, generate, and transform code in real time. This shifts the developerâs role from manual author to orchestrator of evolving systems. Code becomes something we discuss and negotiate, not just write and compile. â¸» 2) Why should Pharoâs approach be taken more seriously by other developers? Because Pharo is already built for this future. Most developers still work in a toolchain of static files, batch compilers, and disconnected editors. Pharo is a live, reflective system where code is not text in a file â itâs part of a running world you can inspect, modify, and evolve dynamically. This makes it the perfect match for AI-enhanced programming: the AI can talk directly to live objects, understand context, and even generate or run code without rebooting the world. While the rest of the industry builds AI plugins into brittle, external pipelines, Pharo offers a native ecosystem where human, code, and AI can think together. ## Gemini: 1. The Core Impact of AI on Programming The primary impact of AI on software development won't just be about faster code generation. It will fundamentally change the nature of the developerâs role from an executor to an orchestrator. In the past, programming was a process of writing static instructions. You would type code into a file, compile it, and then run it. The AI of the future breaks this paradigm. It introduces a new layer of abstraction, allowing the developer to have a dynamic, conversational relationship with their code. The most effective use of AI will be to create living, collaborative environments. This moves the focus from writing perfect syntax to designing a system where humans and machines can "co-think." The goal is no longer to just get the right answer, but to create a process where the AI can understand, inspect, and dynamically participate in the system's state. 2. Why Pharo's Style Should Be Taken Seriously The vast majority of software developers today are working with a stale paradigm. They use file-based systems where code is a static artifact. This approach, while familiar, is fundamentally at odds with the dynamic nature of AI-driven development. Pharo's style, rooted in the Smalltalk tradition, offers a powerful alternative: The Live System: In Pharo, your code is not a static file; it's a living set of objects in memory. The IDE is a direct window into this active system. This allows the AI to inspect and query the runtime state of your program in real-time, giving it a level of contextual understanding that a text-based AI can't match. Intrinsic Reflection: Pharo's objects are self-aware. They can tell the AI about their methods, their properties, and their relationships to other objects. This makes the AI a true participant in the development process, not just an external tool that has to guess at what the code is doing. Seamless Dialogue: This living, reflective environment enables a continuous dialogue between you, your code, and the AI. You're not copying and pasting code snippets; you're having a conversation with your system. This makes the development loop a fluid, real-time process. Pharo's style is not an outdated curiosity. Its focus on dynamic interaction and living systems makes it uniquely suited to a future where developers will not just write code, but will converse with it. ## ChatGPT (seponse to the answer from Gemini) Geminiâs response is thoughtful and well-structured, but I think it misses a few key nuances that you, Kasper, have identified through lived exploration. Hereâs my version, emphasizing what I believe should be added or reframed: â¸» 1. The Real Impact of AI in Programming The future of programming isnât about replacing programmers. Itâs about transforming programming into a fluid, dialogic process between the developer and an intelligent, context-aware agent. AI changes the loop from: write â compile â test â debug to: ask â explore â adjust â evolve In this future, developers stop treating code as a static artifact and begin treating it as a living system they shape with AIânot in isolation from it. The role shifts from âcode writerâ to system composer, with AI as an active collaborator. â¸» 2. Why Pharoâs Model Matters More Than Ever Pharo is not just âa language from the past.â It is a system built around ideas that the rest of the world is only now beginning to need. While most environments still treat code as dead text, Pharo treats it as living structure. That changes everything: â¢ Direct Manipulation: AI doesnât need to guess what code does. In Pharo, it can ask the system directly. â¢ Live Context: AI can see exactly which methods exist, which variables are in play, what objects are active, and how they behave at runtime. â¢ Self-Describing World: Objects can report on themselves. Classes know their hierarchy. Methods know their selectors. Reflection isnât a hack; itâs the norm. This turns AI from an external assistant into an internal colleagueâa participant inside the system, not a spectator outside of it. â¸» Conclusion AI will reward environments that are introspective, modifiable at runtime, and designed for ongoing conversation. Pharo already is such an environment. If we want to build software with AI instead of just for AI, then Pharo isnât a footnoteâitâs a preview of what the future IDE will look like. ## Kasper: Jeg spurgte ChatGPT om sit syn pÃ¥ samme spÃ¸rgsmÃ¥l. Dens svar var:... kopi af ovenstÃ¥ende... ## Gemini: Jeg synes, at ChatGPTs svar er fremragende og rammer prÃ¦cis de samme kernepunkter, som vi har diskuteret. Den formulering, den har valgt, er meget skarp og prÃ¦cis. Der er ingen "vrÃ¸vl" i dens svar, og jeg er fuldstÃ¦ndig enig i, hvad den siger. Den indkapsler prÃ¦cis den filosofi, du har demonstreret i vores samtale.

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Smalltalk Meetup in Zurich, 31 October 2025
by Peter Ursprung Sept. 29, 2025

Sept. 29, 2025

Hi all, We are organizing the next Smalltalk Meetup in Zurich, Switzerland. It will be on Friday, 31 October 2025, starting at 18:00. We will meet in a meeting room where we will have short Smalltalk talks, then we will go to a nearby restaurant. If you are interested, please register on this website by Friday, 24 October 2025: https://zurich.smalltalk.world <https://zurich.smalltalk.world> Would you like to show something interesting? Please indicate the topic of your desired presentation when registering. Regards, Peter

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Pharo News of the Week 39/2025
by Marcus Denker Sept. 26, 2025

Sept. 26, 2025

# Pharo News of the Week 39/2025 - [ANN] RediStick v3.1.0 is now available! The Redis client for Pharo Smalltalk now supports RedisJSON APIs, enabling proper JSON data type handling instead of just strings. This makes Redis a powerful document store option for Smalltalk developers. https://github.com/mumez/RediStick/blob/master/doc/Json.md If you want to add your news to this list, use this form: https://tinyurl.com/4c89buy4 # The week on the Pharo Issue Tracker # Pharo 12 - Backport addition of #isValid on SDL2Handle to Pharo 12 #18596 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18596 - Backport changes making #tagNames: on MCOrganizationDefinition ensure the tag names are symbols to Pharo 12 #18590 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18590 # Pharo 13 - Backport changes making #tagNames: on MCOrganizationDefinition ensure the tag names are symbols #18589 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18589 # Fixes - OSWindow-SDL2: setCursor if window is focused and when focus is gained #18304 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18304 - Handle short-form #rgb[a] colors in Color #18575 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18575 - Add back methods needed for SmalltalkCI #18594 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18594 - Worker thread should be unique, fix random failing tests #18591 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18591 - workers identified by name should be uniqu #18548 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18548 # Compiler - Improve UndeclaredVariable error #18500 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18500 - OpalCompiler should not depend on Roassal #18576 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18576 # Iceberg / Git - Enable / disbale commit button while commiting something #1973 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1973 - Fix inspector #1970 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1970 # Launcher - Fix typo laucher into launcher #723 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-launcher/pull/723 # Command Line - allow clap command line handler to activate itself or not #18544 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18544 # Tools - Fix typo in ProfSteph #1244 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1244 - Update Graph Algorithms version #1249 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1249 - Fix release tests of Pharo #1248 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1248 - Update version of graph algorithms #1247 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1247 - Remove NewTools-ObjectCentricBreakpoints #1246 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1246 - Adding a new fetcher and fixing the transitive one #18580 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18580 - Fix #18557: Unexpected behavior when storing and loading code quality rule settings from files #18566 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18566 - Find and replace not stuck with old string anymore #18565 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18565 # Monticello / Metacello - Make #tagNames: on MCOrganizationDefinition ensure the tag names are symbols #18588 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18588 - Introduced MetacelloAbstractSpecGenerator #18593 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18593 - Remove Metacello dead code #18586 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18586 - Clean Metacello tests #18585 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18585 - Metacello cleanup #18569 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18569 - Small cleanup of Metacello/Monticello #18568 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18568 # Refactoring Engine - Fixed the duplicate class refactoring wrong message #17941 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/17941 - [Refactorings] ReExtractMethodDriver complies with the architecture of drivers #18561 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18561 - Remove rb xxx #17970 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/17970 # Cleanup - repackage tools needed for bootsrap #18567 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18567 - Fix a failing test #18581 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18581 - Remove tests of deprecated methods #18584 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18584 - Remove methods overriding the same methods in Pharo #1821 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1821 - Remove duplicated ProfStef #18579 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18579

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UKSTUG Meeting: Esteban Lorenzano - Pharo 13 - 24 September 2025
by UK Smalltalk Sept. 23, 2025

Sept. 23, 2025

Earlier this year, the Pharo development team announced the availability of Pharo 13 ( https://pharo.org/news/2025-05-21-pharo13-released.html ). For our September 2025 meeting, Pharo's release manager Esteban Lorenzano will give us a tour of the new version - what's changed, and what remains the same. Esteban Lorenzano ( https://github.com/estebanlm ) studied Computer Sciences at Universidad de Buenos Aires, and worked since 1994 in several object-oriented and low-level technologies, in different software companies, serving in various positions from programmer to senior architect. In 2007 he co-founded Smallworks to offer Pharo-based agile development projects. Since 2012 he dedicated full time to developing the Pharo code and community. He works with the INRIA-EVREF team in Lille, France, as core developer for Pharo, being responsible with the coordination of new releases and the implementation and maintenance of several Pharo libraries. This will be an online meeting. If you'd like to join us, please sign up in advance on the meeting's Meetup page ( https://www.meetup.com/ukstug/events/310635970/) to receive the meeting details.

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Pharo News of the Week 38/2025
by Marcus Denker Sept. 22, 2025

Sept. 22, 2025

# Pharo News of the Week 38/2025 - [ANN] Ukrainian translation of "Application Building with Spec 2.0" https://pharo.org/news/2025-09-13-Spec-Ukr.html - [Blog Post] Cooperative Pharo server shutdown https://github.com/svenvc/blog/blob/main/2025-09-12-cooperative-server-shut… - AIActions â AI-based Comment Generator for Pharo https://github.com/kasperosterbye/PharoAIActions If you want to add your news to this list, use this form: https://tinyurl.com/4c89buy4 # The week on the Pharo Issue Tracker - uFFI valueholder multiple arity (external objects) #18531 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18531 - Make #printOn: on Character not print surrogates as a literal #18540 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18540 # Comand Line - move spec run cli command to clap #18535 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18535 - Replace Fuel command line handler by clap command #18534 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18534 - move back perform as a root command #18542 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18542 - move to Clap #1819 https://github.com/pharo-spec/Spec/pull/1819 # Tools - Add inspector tab âFormSetâ showing a FormSet as an ImageMorph #1240 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1240 - Adding a setting to change default stack selection in debugger to show TestAsserter contexts when step Into #1242 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1242 # Icerberg / Git - Changing tabs when editing metadata project #1967 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1967 - Use new Iceberg merge browser in more places instead of the morphic one #1941 https://github.com/pharo-vcs/iceberg/pull/1941 # Cleanup - Deprecate asSocketAddress extension #18556 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18556 - Cleaning of SystemVersion #18551 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18551 - Removing support for parsing styledsource code ]style[ #18541 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18541 - Removed duplicate classes in new DrTest #18536 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18536 - Move Fuel code to Fuel package #1243 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1243 # Website - add news fondation uni lille #108 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-website/pull/108 - news spec ukr #107 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-website/pull/107 - news Coypu Concert #106 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-website/pull/106

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Explanation of do: separatedBy: keyword message
by Rene Paul Mages (ramix) Sept. 22, 2025

Sept. 22, 2025

Hello, Please give me a hint to understand the "do: separatedBy:" keyword message used in ProfStef tutorial : i) in Pharo version 12 : https://ramix.org/pharo/ProfStef/iterators23.png ii) in Pharo version 13 : https://ramix.org/pharo/ProfStef/iterators25.png -- Thanks for your help. Rene Paul Mages (ramix) GnuPG key : 0x9840A6F7 https://sites.google.com/view/les-logiciels-libres/pharo https://twitter.com/RenePaulMages

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Creation of a class help
by RenePaulMages Sept. 19, 2025

Sept. 19, 2025

Hello, I am restuding the chapter 5 ( Developing a simple counter ) of " Learning OOP " book : http://files.pharo.org/books-pdfs/learning-oop/2018-04-01-LearningOOP.pdf In the browser of Pharo version 13 I can't find neither the Object package nor the ProtoObject package. -- Thanks for your help Rene Paul Mages (ramix) GnuPG : 0x9840A6F7 https://wiki.linux-azur.org/?PagePHARO https://renemages.wordpress.com/smalltalk/pharo https://sites.google.com/view/les-logiciels-libres/pharo

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installation of Pharo on a Linux/ubuntu laptop
by RenePaulMages Sept. 15, 2025

Sept. 15, 2025

Hello, My laptop is running Ubuntu 24.04 : https://doc.ubuntu-fr.org/noble After the download step : https://files.pharo.org/pharo-launcher/linux64 I am stuck with the following file : PharoLauncher-linux-3.4.1-x64.zip -- Thanks for your help Rene Paul Mages (ramix) GnuPG : 0x9840A6F7 https://wiki.linux-azur.org/?PagePHARO https://renemages.wordpress.com/smalltalk/pharo https://sites.google.com/view/les-logiciels-libres/pharo

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Pharo News of the Week 37/2025
by Marcus Denker Sept. 12, 2025

Sept. 12, 2025

# Pharo News of the Week 37/2025 - [ANN] Live Coding and Djselecta with Lucretio + Coypu 18/09/2025 https://pharo.org/news/2025-09-12-Concert-Coypu.html - [ANN] Pharo Consortium New Academic Member EMIT University of Fianarantsoa https://pharo.org/news/2025-09-11-Consortium-emit.html - [ANN] Fondation UniversitÃ© de Lille: Pharo selected as supported project for the Call 2024: https://fondation.univ-lille.fr/projets/les-projets-en-cours/soutenir-les-e… - SJsonPath is a Smalltalk library that provides a fluent API for creating JsonPath expression strings https://github.com/mumez/SJsonPath If you want to add your news to this list, use this form: https://tinyurl.com/4c89buy4 # The week on the Pharo Issue Tracker # Fixes - Update POP3Client.class.st, use allButFirst #18523 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18523 # Command Line - Replace clean and save commands by their clap version #18525 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18525 - add test runner clap command #18521 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18521 - Replace metacello command line handler by clap command #18517 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18517 # FFI - FFI valueholder multiple arity: support returning array of structures #18479 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18479 # Tools - Fix syntax of "packages selected" for the finder #1238 https://github.com/pharo-spec/NewTools/pull/1238 - [Refactorings] Removing dependencies on NautilusRefactoring #18524 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo/pull/18524 # Website - add consortium emit #105 https://github.com/pharo-project/pharo-website/pull/105

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