>> I'm not going to disagree with you, exactly, because I think your
>> perceptions are mostly correct. Although, I would say that light  
>> fooling
>> around in Squeak is pretty easy. There are lots of beginner's  
>> documents,
>> there is Etoys, etc. Making the jump from apprentice to master--or  
>> even
>> Journeyman, for that matter, is much, much harder. Squeak is a lot  
>> of big
>> bites (even Etoys is a big bite if you hope to understand the  
>> system in
>> the Smalltalk sense). I have actually found this to be true of  
>> Smalltalk
>> since I started with it (over ten years ago!).
>>
>
> I put it to you that it is actually not that easy to get started with
> Squeak. Yes, there are lot's of beginner's tutorials, but nothing
> cohesive, some effort is required to sort things out. And let's not
> understime the shock of the first encounter with Squeak: its UI is
> *nothing* like what most comers from other languages  are used to.
> This, and the garish colors it used to use, was what turned me away
> twice.

If you fainted the first time this is normal...:)
Now in 3.9alpha the look enh are in and we need help.
Let us say it frankly I HATE this green color for the default browser
so if someone can provide a better color scheme (may be everything in  
pale blue)
and propose a fix then this will have an impact for all the newcomers.

So now the guys complaining that colors are way cool are certainly  
used to squeak
and should be able to reactive their old fashion scarying newbies  
away colors.

We again discuss that yesterday and this is on our todo list so any  
help from this
front is welcome.

> I just couldn't make sense of it. Now, this might just be me,
> but I suspect it's not.
>
>
>> But look: Stéphane Ducasse responded to you. He's working on  
>> traits, he's
>> involved in the site redesign, he's authored a book based on  
>> Squeak that
>>
>
> Which I have bought :-)

I hope you enjoyed it. Because this is not about squeak (even if my  
editor put squeak in the title).

>> people are clamoring for a sequel to (waves at Stéphane :-))-- 
>> should he do
>> it? Looking at the people who are best qualified to explain what's  
>> going
>> on and they've all got full plates.
>>
>> Which leaves stuff like that to thee and me. Personally, I'm still
>> studying. (I'm writing stuff, too, but nothing I'm ready for  
>> others to
>> read, yet.)
>>
>
> That is why I think Squeak needs clear leadership. Someone does need
> to worry about the big picture, and I do believe there is more than
> one doing it, it just needs to be visible.

Right.
Lot of people share your analysis.

For now, we want to make 3.9 hyper sexy then we will see for the rest.

Stef