[Newbies] Examples of GUI programs developed in Squeak

[David Finlayson]

I am considering developing an application in Squeak for the analysis
and processing of sonar data. The most interesting part of the program
is a visual analysis tool that would be used for filtering, mosaicking
and GIS-type analysis. Superficially, it would resemble and indeed
work a lot like a photo editing application, only instead of working
with R,G,B values, each pixel in the image represents a complex matrix
of information derived from the sonar system, the vessel GPS and
motion sensors, etc. ImageJ for sonars, if you will.

A lot of people would code this type of thing in C++ or C#, but I see
some value in a dynamic system like Smalltalk that would make it easy
to add new complex filters that allow us to do interesting research on
sonar analysis. I am willing to give up performance to gain a powerful
development environment.

The question is: is Squeak the right smalltalk for this kind of thing?
Does it have the support for images, matrix algebra, plain old
performance for signal processing to build a photo-shop-like
application? I guess it has been used for Robot control, which would
have similar performance demands. What do you think?

Maybe there is some cool stuff that could be done with Morphic to go
places a photoshop-type application can't go. Maybe Morphic will suck
at this type of thing, I don't know.

I am only half way through Squeak By Example, and I am probably biting
off more than I can chew, but maybe not?

-- 
David Finlayson, Ph.D.
Operational Geologist

U.S. Geological Survey
Pacific Science Center
400 Natural Bridges Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA

Tel: 831-427-4757, Fax: 831-427-4748, E-mail: dfinlayson at usgs.gov