Smalltalk - Re: Can Pharo meet all your computing needs?

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Re: Can Pharo meet all your computing needs?

Posted by WilfredHughes on Aug 25, 2014; 11:33pm
URL: https://forum.world.st/Can-Pharo-meet-all-your-computing-needs-tp4774250p4774736.html

Sounds like the Dynabook goal rather overlaps with that of Lisp Machines. The idea of a single system that allows you to modify any part at runtime, inspect any part, or drop into a debugger anywhere is extremely powerful and wonderful to work with.

Emacs gets quite close to this, but... it's Emacs lisp. I've used worse languages, but elisp was not intended to be a general purpose application programming language. Smalltalk is, which is why Pharo excites me.

Once you start 'living' in a single environment, you customise it to meet your needs and can contribute the reusable parts to the wider community. This produces a virtuous circle of the tools getting better. A package manager that makes it easy to distribute your work is crucial in this.

Sounds like the first step for me is to start using the Pharo file browser and command shell and to see how it fits my workflow :)

On 25 August 2014 15:15, S Krish <[hidden email]> wrote:

" The Dynabook SW architecture must be open so that owners can safely install functionality ('apps') that is available in a marketplace. (The i-pad with its hardware and its marketplace for apps is at the back of my mind.)"

Can the intent be expanded a bit more. Is this an intent to have a Pharo / ST / Dynabook based marketplace or more extensive ?

On Mon, Aug 25, 2014 at 3:33 PM, Trygve Reenskaug <[hidden email]> wrote:

I don't think the current Smalltalk architecture can meet all your computing needs because security isn't part of its core and because it is inconceivable that all the necessary programs can be developed within its boundaries.

Like several people I met at ESUG, my goal is the Dynabook and the Dynabook shall, by definition, meet all your needs. A Dynabook must be safe so that its owner is protected from hackers and other evildoers. The Dynabook SW architecture must be open so that owners can safely install functionality ('apps') that is available in a marketplace. (The i-pad with its hardware and its marketplace for apps is at the back of my mind.)

I can only see one path from here to there. Start from e.g., Pharo and simplify it to create a Dynabook architecture with owner programming and with opening for safely adding functionality safely ad lib. (I suppose this is an ST based OS?)

Any takers?
--Trygve

On 23.08.2014 17:04, Wilfred Hughes wrote:

Hi folks

I've been playing with Pharo recently, and really enjoying writing some programs in the Pharo environment.

As a result, I've been wondering if I can use Pharo the way I would use Emacs, as an environment for doing everything.

For example, can I use Pharo to:

* Send emails to this mailing list?
* Use IRC?
* Start Bash?
* Read the Pharo documentation (e.g. Pharo By Example)?

If these things do exist, how do I discover them? Is there a package manager I can use to find new tools I can use in Pharo?