John Hinsley wrote:
> These are all interesting questions to which I don't know the answers!
> 
> But, the idea of classlessness has certainly been discussed (within the
> last couple of months) on the Self list --
> self-interest at yahoogroups.com -- if you've not come across it.

There are lots of ways to implement these things. I think "classes" are
OK in the sense of thinking of a class as a dictionary of methods that
are designed to work together, where multiple objects may point to the
same dictionary. [I started implementing something like that in Python.]
I'm not sure what "classless" would mean (other than in the prototype
sense).

Thanks for the reference -- looks like the archives are public:
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/self-interest
I'm poking through them now.

> I also suspect that Cel or Merlin may make use of some of these ideas. A
> google search should throw up some papers.

Thanks for the pointers!

I found:
  http://www.redwoodsoft.com/cel/
  http://www.lsi.usp.br/~jecel/tech.html
Still need to look at them more.

> On the other hand, Jecel Assumpcao Jr (a google for Jecel will turn up
> most of the stuff) who could give you definitive answers to most of
> these questions usually watches this list.

Jecel, I'd love to hear your comments!

-Paul Fernhout
Kurtz-Fernhout Software 
=========================================================
Developers of custom software and educational simulations
Creators of the Garden with Insight(TM) garden simulator
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com