Definition of Squeak

Christopher Oliver oliver at fritz.traverse.com
Fri Aug 28 07:09:58 UTC 1998


> >A fine idea.  Are you volunteering?
> 
> 
> Well, here you are :)

<RANT>

But... but... but... this is only syntax.  Surely you need to give
a denotational semantics too.  Better dust off that lambda calculus.
But wait!  Can't I tweek the compiler internals too?   Even at run
time?  My brain hurts!

Look!  Squeak is a marvelous and fluid experiment from which we have
a very nice interctive environment (the squeak whole), a nice new graph-
ical environment (morphic) even if it's in the early stages.  As a fluid
experiment, the nature of the beast will continue to change in substan-
tial and perhaps surprising ways.  This is the art that precedes the
engineering.

Don't get me wrong; I think when you do have the answer, you need to be
able to unambiguously specify its implementation, but I think folks are
trying to discover new answers rather than hash out known ones.  Think
about how much we learned from Lisp with many distinct implementations
with varied properties creeping up.  I at least enjoy the glimpse into
more-or-less unfettered exploration, and I am quite satisfied with hack-
ing and reading the code to learn about the state of things.  Let's not
march with blinders in one direction quite yet.  When squeak sets (pet-
rifies?) or even slows, then someone can mathematize it.  Upto that
point, it chills radical invention.

Hard specification means play time is over.

</RANT>

-- 
Christopher Oliver                     Traverse Internet
Systems Coordinator                    223 Grandview Pkwy, Suite 108
oliver at traverse.net                    Traverse City, Michigan, 49684
let magic f = fun x -> x and more_magic n f = fun x -> f ((n f) x);;





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