Dan Shafer wrote on Wed, 10 May 2006 15:09:22 -0700
> FWIW, my take is that this is a simple problem with no good solution  
> other than a major benefactor. And I don't see a major benefactor on  
> the horizon.

I was hoping OLPC would sort of play that role, but it seems that their
focus will be on Python instead.

While there is some value in trying to get existing programmers to look
at Smalltalk, the fact is people simply don't like to change. So you the
first system you present to a person is a good one then that
characteristic isn't as much of a problem. Of course, normally the first
system a person learns is what happens to be the most popular at the
moment and since these aren't good we get a vicious cycle. This is why I
see "break with the past" projects like the OLPC (and my own) as a great
chance to change this.

Once you have a new group using something different and this group grows
to the point where they are the majority, *then* you have the existing
programmers getting interested in it and possibly deciding to change to
it.

-- Jecel