tim Rowledge wrote:
> With regard to the idea of making tools to edit Smalltalk in large
> chunks, like those dead languages do, one needs to see Smalltalk as a
> huge and (hopefully) elegant library of Haiku rather than a second
> hand bookstore filled with tattered copies of Stephen King effluvia.
> Sure, the King verbiage sells more than Haiku. But which is likely to
> be remembered in a 1000 years time?
>
> The tool/media combination you use has a very notable effect on what
> your write and how; when carving in stone was the only option it was
> important to think carefully how you said it. When many reporters used
> the little epson hx-80 (?) laptop/tablet or the Tandy 100 (?) with the
> dinky 4-8 lines screens they wrote much tighter prose than you will
> see on the prairie like screens of a 17" laptop.
>
> The typical Smalltalk browser is well suited to writing code haiku.
> That encourages reusability by keeping methods small and intelligable
> and responsible for one small job that can be made use of again and
> again. A vast slobbering tract of Kingish code is as much use as a
> chocolate teapot and about as reusable.It might seem like a sweet idea
> to start with but you'll soon realise it degenerates into a
> wishy-washy mess that just gets stuck to everything and leaves a nasty
> stain no matter how you try to wash it off.
holy crap, Tim. Nice imagery - especially the last paragraph!
And, I learned a new word today:

effluvia
Etymology: Latin /effluvium /act of flowing out, from /effluere/
*1* *:* an invisible emanation; /especially/ *:* an offensive exhalation
or smell
*2* *:* a by-product especially in the form of waste