At 21:44 12.12.2004, stéphane ducasse wrote:
>Ok guys,
>
>I tried to help building what could be a cool system but I failed.
>So I pull the plug and will focus on my research, because Squeak was 
>simply extra work. It was fun but extra work.
>Now I will only work on our research because this is much more fun in fact.
>
>I got a new job and I will have to build a lab and live between two 
>countries for more than a year. So I think that I will pay attention to me 
>and my family.
>
>Stef
>
>PS: I'm also bit tired about all that (people talking a lot, declaring 
>constraints or duties that others would have to do, ....)
>PSPS:  We are far too messy to get something out as a community, too bad 
>(look at the squeakFoundation in case someone wants to do something this 
>is the way). May be this is the bazar and normal process I do not know but 
>this is too much for me.
>

Dear Stef,

Quarter of a century ago, Smalltalk was launced into the world with high 
hopes of it becoming main stream. It was the best, but it didn't succeed as 
hoped. Was it because programmers prefer things to stay the way they they 
are used to? Or was there some other reason? I don't know.  My greatest 
dissapointment was when I heard that while it takes a full year for a 
programmer to become proficient in C++, a Smalltalk programmer does it in 
12 months...With C++, the trouble seems to be with the language. With 
Smalltalk, it seems to be the class library. ST80 didn't make it, and 25 
years of patching hasn't improved matters.

My impression is that you and many other Squeakers are seriously trying to 
clean up the class library to make it easier and better to work with for 
everybody. To put it mildly, you have not received a great deal of 
encouragement.

"If you try to please everybody, somebody is not going to like it." 
Unfortunately, the majority does not seem to like what you are doing. Your 
reaction is quite understandable, but lamentable. Remember that the 
negative reactions are not representative; it is easier to critisize than 
to praise. And your target audience is not the Squeak community, but the 
hordes of programmers who can become the Squeakers of the future.

25 years ago, I was convinced that Smalltalk offers a superior way to 
programming. I am still convinced. But I also understand that the current 
implementations are nowhere near realizing the potentiality. You are trying 
to solve the problem by incremental evolution. I am trying a different 
approach, but who is to say what is the best?

IMO, the ideal would be that your work continues within the current Squeak 
community, being supported by a vocal group of like minded. If this is 
impractical,  it will be necessary with a fork into a smaller group. The 
world needs a materially better way for creating and maintaing programs. 
The Smalltalk idea is the best starting point for achieving it, and work 
should continue inside or outside the Squeak community.

So keep up the good work!

-Trygve