@teajaygrey @exchgr I'd expect Mr. Kay to mean what he did, in other words SmallTalk.
But of course everyone went a different direction because performance (and then somehow we all ended up running JS anyway).
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@teajaygrey @exchgr I'd expect Mr. Kay to mean what he did, in other words SmallTalk. But of course everyone went a different direction because performance (and then somehow we all ended up running JS anyway). 2 comments
@teajaygrey @exchgr Goes to show you can't actually create a powerful, successful programming language by attempting to create a powerful, successful programming language (see also C, Javascript...). 🤣 |
@MyLittleMetroid The back story behind SmallTalk is fascinating too. I'm not at a laptop to dig it up presently, but it was done almost as a dare.
My crude summary: SmallTalk was created essentially to prove a point that a powerful program could be implemented in approximately a page of code.
Albeit, it grew from that original proof of concept.
If you ever have an opportunity to visit DynamicLand in Oakland, it embodies a similar ethos. No surprise, Alan Kay was one of the individuals behind that research project.
They have a section where the operating code is all printed out on a board and the core kernel again: is basically just a page of code.
Albeit, the underlying complexity (implemented atop Lua, which is atop a bunch of other stuff) is obfuscated in that presentation, but: it's a welcome obfuscation. It allows the users to keep things simple and powerful and intuitive and elegant. It's a fascinating brainstorming work shop. Essentially making prototyping powerfully interactive systems as superficially simplistic as child's play in a preschool.
After visiting it, from my vantage at least: it became painfully clear both how far ahead visionaries such as Alan Kay and his collaborators are, and how far behind almost everything else in the field remains.
@exchgr
@MyLittleMetroid The back story behind SmallTalk is fascinating too. I'm not at a laptop to dig it up presently, but it was done almost as a dare.
My crude summary: SmallTalk was created essentially to prove a point that a powerful program could be implemented in approximately a page of code.
Albeit, it grew from that original proof of concept.