Thoughts from an outsider
Rich Warren
rwmlist at gmail.com
Thu Aug 31 09:35:15 UTC 2006
On Aug 30, 2006, at 8:35 AM, Ramon Leon wrote:
> This is the difference between using a framework and using an API,
> Smalltalkers like frameworks, which by their very nature, require
> you to
> understand how they work. You make it sound like digging through
> classes is
> hard, it's just a couple keystrokes, browse here, browse, there,
> check out a
> few examples, bam, ok, makes sense now. I not only find digging
> through
> classes a good solution, I find it's the only one I've ever found that
> works. Documents lie, code doesn't. I consider understanding how
> something
> works, a prerequisite to using it well. And frankly, I can bounce
> around
> the code, in a far more organized and faster manner than I could
> through
> some document.
I agree that Smalltalk has excellent tools for sifting through the
source code. However, this can be a barrier to entry for newcomers.
We need a constant supply of new blood, otherwise Smalltalk will
wither and die.
In general I'm ok just browsing the source code, but I do get upset
when someone doesn't even bother to add a class comment. I mean,
really. How long does it take to add two or three sentences? A few
sentences, that's all I'm asking. A handful of words can save me so
much time.
Sometimes, when I'm working with a new framework, it can be hard to
find the door in. Once I find the door, I'm golden. Maybe there are
tricks to moving through the source code that I don't know (hey,
maybe they should be documented somewhere). But, it really frustrates
me when I can't even find the door.
I think there are a couple of other barriers to Squeak in particular.
I think the user interface is a huge one. Let's just say, the UI for
3.8 seems a bit...how should I say it...aesthetically challenged. 3.9
looks like it will be a big step forward, but it's still not great.
There's also a pretty serious learning curve before you can even use
the interface. I'm sure halos have driven away more than one
potential user. They seem so foreign at first.
Also, I hate being isolated from the rest of my desktop. I'm a mac
user. I like my mac. I like my mac apps. I wish Smalltalk could be
part of that environment. Visual Works gets a few points here. At
least it looks like a native interface (Though, the UI doesn't behave
in a consistently native manner--which can actually be more annoying
sometimes. And it doesn't run on intel macs yet.).
When I started learning Smalltalk, I originally tried squeak, moved
to VisualWorks because of the UI issues, then moved back to squeak to
get access to newer versions of SeaSide. Once I made it over the
initial learning curve, I discovered that I really like squeak
(except for being isolated from the rest of my desktop--I still don't
like that). I've heard at least one other person on this list
describe similar experiences. I wonder how common it is? I wonder how
many people we lose, because they just don't make it far enough?
-Rich-
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