On Sun, Jul 5, 2009 at 10:19 PM, Andreas Raab<andreas.raab at gmx.de> wrote:
>it occurred to me that Squeak is really built around three
> fundamental pillars:
>
> * Minimalism.
> * Tools.
> * Education.
>
> Minimalism. I think we all agree that we love minimalistic, simple kernels
> and systems. I don't think any of us would disagree with that. Whether it's
> an embedded system, a little kernel image, or some self-contained bootstrap
> magic; we just all love and cherish self-contained little systems.

I love minimalistic, simple kernels and systems.  Squeak isn't one.  I
suppose that at its heart there is a simple kernel, but it is
surrounded by an overly complex image.  i imagine that most of the
people at the original Squeak Central also loved minimalism.  So, why
did Squeak get so big?  What forces cause people who love minimalism
to make a bloated image?  At least one of these forces is the demand
for immediate usefulness.  It is easier to throw stuff in the image
than to modularize the system.  But I think that the forces opposing
minimalism are probably complex and powerful.  If we don't understand
them, we are unlikely to defeat them.

-Ralph