RE: ::scr Touchy Feely?

["Simon Kinahan" <simon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Indeed. So I'm still not sure why they bothered inventing Java in the
> first place. Just get a decent Smalltalk VM ported to oodles of
> platforms. (Yes, I know...)

Java has two advantages over Smalltalk (and many more disadvantages).
Unfortunately, they turned out to be crucial.

1. Its syntax is like sanitised C++. That made it relatively easy for most
programmers to learn, even though the semantics are totally different.
Remember, most programmers know only one or two languages, most of which
will have a BCPL or Algol descended syntax, and never really understand the
semantics of any language. Smalltalk's syntax is very nice once you get used
to it - a good compromise between uniformity and readability - but it does
need to be got used to.

2. Smalltalk image files are rediculously huge, and the language does not
really support separate compilation. When Java appeared, you could fill the
typical PC hard disk with 20 Smalltalk programs. That made it unusable for
most casual users.

Simon