> but I have a basic question: if I do a program in
> squeak...I can use it only
> using squeak environment. Can't I ?
> Or may I generate executables for the hosting OS ?
>

Yes, that's essentially correct at this time.  If you want to use
Smalltalk but make it seem more like you have generated executables
for a host OS, you should look into Cincom VisualWorks Non-Commercial,
which should be available at the following link:

http://www.cincom.com/visualworks/downloads.html

Also, Cincom purchased ObjectStudio which they are making available
for free for non-commercial users.  It seems to be a
lifecycle-oriented tool.

Most of us Squeakers have not found the image-only limitation to be
much of a limitation.  After all, you can "package" an image so that
it cannot be edited.  This makes it possible to finish development and
then write out a new image that you secure.  Even then, one of the
great aspects of Smalltalk is the ease of repair of running systems,
so this is not a favorite option.  I'd probably only use it if there
were a requirement that the system be made idiot-proof at the cost of
flexibility.

-John