Fellow Squeakers,
Squeak is not a toy:
It is excellent for class diagramming with the addition of Connectors,
Jacaranda diagram browser, and a little hard play to parse lesser
languages with tools like SMACC..
It is a multiply linked living process flow design tool that can be
externally linked to mundane documentation and other artifacts.
It is a place to design persistent data stores without having to think too
hard about which technology is being used under the covers.
It is a place to test and develop algorithms for just about anything. Some
spectacular examples can be seen in Alan Kay’s lecture talk at OOPSLA on
how the computer revolution hasn’t happened yet.
It is a spectacular way to get and keep the attention of students and
lecture attendies because you can trivially do interactive things that
lesser environments are unaware of.
You can write virtual world operating systems like Croquet that are
infinitely extendable.
If you don’t like the way it looks, change it. I did so I could see it
better. See
http://minnow.cc.gatech.edu/squeak/362It’s a great mind stretcher. Where else can you bend a glyph, Put it on a
tilted key and edit the code in a workspace that is tilted six degrees to
the left. Then use the Speaker Child Say: call to tell you which kind of
thing is appearing in your simulation space? No where else but squeak I
think.
At the same time, Squeak is a toy because:
It’s just plain fun. Where else can you teach high schoolers to route
objects, do texture mapping, animate fish, and script the whole thing in
the language of your choice?
Where else can you play Pong on your entire desktop and mess with the rules
along the way?
Where else can you find an extensive community of people who like to
improve the world one mind at a time? Squeakers are a friendly bunch with
a diverse interest that makes just being here an enlightening experience.
We all want to keep up this good work.
Tap
P.S. I like the mouse logo. The bat mouse logo is fun too.
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