On Wed, Oct 10, 2001 at 07:41:27PM -0500, Ed Heil wrote:
[snip]
> 
> The only other languages I've ever really used are Basic (long ago)
> and Perl.  I have to say that SmallTalk is pretty intimidating.  The
> concept (messages for objects) is wonderfully simple, yes, but it's
> kinda hard to figure out how to actually do much with it.  There are
> several tutorials available on the web, but somehow they just don't
> seem to take you very far.
> 
> The most helpful one so far has been the tutorial for GNU Smalltalk,
> but of course that doesn't help much with the Morphic world.

Interesting....seems you are following much the same path I did a while
ago.  I even read the GNU Smalltalk tutorial back in '93!

I do agree that at first when you jump into Squeak the first question
that comes to mind is, "Gee, where do I start?"  I think that the
question really becomes answered once you understand the interface
better...it did for me.

> 
> I guess what I'm dying for is an O'Reilly And Associates "Squeak In A
> Nutshell" book or something.  Just something that sits you down and
> says "these are the things you need to think about to make yourself a
> Morphic application."  


Well, I have two recommendations for reading:
1) "Smalltalk-80: The Language" by Goldberg & Robson.  VERY good for learning
the basics of Smalltalk.   I still swear by this book, even though my
copy is getting rather dog-eared.
2) "Squeak: O-O Design with Multimedia Applications" by Mark Guzdial.  This
will help you understand Morphic with some good working examples.  This
is the so-called "white book" you may hear about on this list.

Actually, I learned Morphic primarily through the Browser...I just picked
apart various simple Morphic applications like Tetris and Celeste.  The
"white book" filled in the blanks, so to speak.


> 
> Does anyone have particular suggestions on good Smalltalk resources
> that bridge the gap from "Here's a three page tutorial that introduces
> you to the concept that objects get passed messages" to "Oh, hell,
> just dive into the class browser and figure it out yourself"?
> 
> Ed
> 

See above... 1) is good for the basics, and 2) is good for Squeak-related
specifics.  There is a 3) as well...the "NuBlue" book has lots of great
reference material and background information.


> -- 
> .....................................................
> Ed Heil ....................... uncorrected at yahoo.com
> .....................................................
>