Sorry if this has been discussed before; if it has, please just point me to the right place and I'll go read all of it.
I'm contemplating doing a column for CNET's BUILDER.COM (where I write the "Master Builder" column every week for people who build Web sites) on the subject of Squeak as a possible tool/platform for Web developers.
One place it seems to me that Squeak has some intriguing potential is in the VM universe, where Java has kind of staked out the turf. There would be some obvious advantages to a Smalltalk VM vs. a Java VM, not the least of which is the relative maturity and completeness of the whole Smalltalk world as evidenced by Squeak.
The VM is clearly under 500K. What isn't clear to me is how much would have to be added to the VM to create a browser-usable (applet-like) or stand-alone, networkable application relying on the VM. Clearly that is to some extent application-specific, but what is the general feeling of the community?
Does Squeak's VM really have the potential to be a replacement or alternative to Java VMs?
From the famous "Back to the Future" paper, I observe:
"Squeak is a portable, malleable, full-service computing environment, including browsing, split-second recompilation, and source debugging tools, all in a 1-megabyte footprint. Though many of its strengths are rooted in the past, Squeak is suited to the intimate computing potential of PDAs and the Internet, and our work is, now more than ever, inspired by the future."
This gives me a lot of hope, but is it hope I can safely convey to the hundreds of thousands of Web designers who will read my column on this subject? Is there any working code anywhere that would exemplify what I'm trying to get at here?