> So my question is basically this: Is there a tool set (browser, senders,
> implementors, maybe debugger) that has "enough" of an abstraction about
> its model that it would be easy to fit in the Hydra channel protocol to
> make them work?

OmniBrowser has all this. GemStone is using that do provide a
development environment on their headless VMs. The OmniBrowser model
runs in GemStone (they ported the code), and the UI runs in Squeak.
They have system browser, hierarchy browser, sender browser,
implementor browser, variable browser, debugger, inspector, workspace,
monticello, etc.

Lukas

-- 
Lukas Renggli
http://www.lukas-renggli.ch