Tim Rowledge wrote:
Perhaps even worse, people coming to _learn_ this new system will see that familiar syntax and stop thinking. You only have to read a bunch of java/C++ code to see that effect. Sadly of course, a new syntax doesn't always break peoples mental models and make them build a new one. I see so much C written in Smalltalk that it's not funny. And I'm not counting the deliberately C-like style of the VM code.
There are good reasons for the C-like style in the VM code. It originates from - limitations of the Smalltalk->C compiler, partly coming from the wish to get a ST->C-VM fast; - the goal to get mostly efficient C-code with the available ST->C compiler.
Capabilities of the ST->C compiler have been improved recently, so the programming style could be slightly more ST *now*.
In almost all other Smalltalks the VM is written *directly* in C: So in respect to have as much code as possible in ST (without loosing much speed compared to direct C programming) Squeak is very good!
Greetings,
Stephan