Speaking both as a Squeaker of sorts and as a techno-journalist who has chosen not yet to discuss much about Squeak publicly yet, I can tell you that there is pent-up demand out there for information about any language that will solve real-world problems faced by the people building the Internet and the Web.
I mentioned Squeak almost in passing on my "Project Heresy" radio show at CNET Radio a few weeks ago and was literally inundated with requests for followup information. I positioned Squeak as a viable platform-independent development language with a graphical interface that had the promise of making Linux more viable as a deplooyment platform.
I've talked with the Squeak team once or twice about doing a column or a feature about Squeak and the Web/Internet but they feel -- and I agree -- that we're not yet ready for prime time attention. But I have to tell you, the itch gets stronger all the time.
"Andrew C. Greenberg" wrote:
What I'm concerned will happen is that sixteen zillion Java programmers will see this and think, "Kewl! A new way to do <applets/beans/whatever>!!". They'll flood the Squeak servers with downloads, will get turned off when it doesn't look-and-feel like C or VB, has no "sandbox" (litter box? :-), doesn't do <applets/beans/whatever>, doesn't "interoperate" with Java/VBScript/whatever, and the next article written will be titled "Squeak Fails To Live Up To Promise". <sigh> Journalists...
Fear not -- this is the virtue of open source -- if it isn't what they want, its their fault for not making it so. As a CS/hacker sophisticate, yet Softalk newbie, I shared these urges/instincts, but owing to my general deference, thought I'd study the matter for awhile before making such overarching attempts to inject an unstudied aesthetic into a clearly well-developed culture.
But trust me, more ideas are better -- even if they are bad ideas. That's the whole notion of the Bazaar. The bad ideas will die out, and the good ones -- including those synthetic "make this more like that" ideas that aren't bad ideas will evolve into the "next great thing."
Have faith -- there are great minds out there, and Squeak is for everyone.