Jesse and Dan conversed:


>  > Support for first-time users
>  > There are four aspects to this work as we see it right now.  First,
>  > we are experimenting with an alternative syntax.  There 
> are numerous
>  > possible ingredients here, including the use of fonts and 
> indenting to
>  > indicate structure, alternatives to keywords in 
> expressions, reserved
>  > words for control, and so on.  The one ground rule for now 
> is not to
>  > change the underlying method format, both to limit our task, and to
>  > ensure that the entire system is accessible with the alternative
>  > syntax.  We are carrying out the first stage of this 
> investigation by
>  > making changes to the pretty-printer, and then browsing 
> the system to
>  > see how it looks.  Once we decide on a format we like, 
> we'll turn to
>  > the task of compiling it.
> 
> I don't think a different syntax is needed... But some decent
> pretty-printing and auto-coloring would go a long way. Does anyone use
> the existing system? I am generally disappointed with the way it
> formats my code, and I would prefer formatting-on-the-fly rather than
> saving the formatting in the source code... This way, each programmer
> can have their own format preferences and view their code their own
> way.
> 
> But much more important for first-time users is having a decent
> tutorial! Yes, some of the tutorials on the web are pretty good, and I
> am glad that there is a book coming out, but with all of Squeak's
> touted multimedia power, and all the cruft that is jammed in the
> image, how about creating a truly great in-Squeak tutorial? I am
> currently trying to get my co-workers excited about Squeak... The lack
> of a great, up-to-date tutorial is defintely a turn-off for them. I
> would like to see squeak become at least as beautiful as Emacs, and
> one of Emacs's keys to success is the in-editor tutorial and help
> system.
> 

i'll lay my naivety on the line and say that I agree.  as an artist who has
been drawn in by the abundant enthusiasm and dedication on this list i have
to also say that i find the steep approach to squeak daunting.  i have some
limited programming exposure but still find that working through a tutorial
on the computer is difficult for a first time learner.  printed form seems a
lot easier for me.  

i'm also a documentation writer part-time so if i do manage to get my head
around squeak basics and think of anything that might help others, i'll try
and whip something up.  not promising much though.

i know enough to know that squeak can probably fulfill my programming needs.
it may be that i need a period of intensive learning and exposure to get
over those first hurdles, but that, to my reckoning, requires some
potentially intensive assistance.

mind you, looking and learning on this list is pretty interesting...and at
times, dauntingly intensive!

michael john noble

[don't get me wrong, squeak captivates me...]