New Smalltalk Blog

[pfisk]

I have started a new blog entitled <a
href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com">Microsoft
.Net and the Smalltalk Language</a>

Topics will cover Smalltalk, the impact of the .Net initiative,
internet application deployment, and how Vista Smalltalk is engineered.

The first subject posted is "Smalltalk's Third Wave".


Peter Fisk

[Thomas Gagne]

Am I the only one who doesn't know about Vista Smalltalk? Is it a MS
product? I see a bunch of blogs but who makes it? Where do you find
it? Do I wait for Vista? Can I get it on XP? Am I going for the bait?

Post by pfisk
I have started a new blog entitled <a
href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com">Microsoft
.Net and the Smalltalk Language</a>
Topics will cover Smalltalk, the impact of the .Net initiative,
internet application deployment, and how Vista Smalltalk is engineered.
The first subject posted is "Smalltalk's Third Wave".
Peter Fisk

[Bernard Notarianni]

First time I ear about vista smalltalk as well but it looks very very
interesting :-)

look here:
https://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/2006/07/08/vista-smalltalk-download/

Post by Thomas Gagne
Am I the only one who doesn't know about Vista Smalltalk? Is it a MS
product? I see a bunch of blogs but who makes it? Where do you find
it? Do I wait for Vista? Can I get it on XP? Am I going for the bait?

Post by pfisk
I have started a new blog entitled <a
href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com">Microsoft
.Net and the Smalltalk Language</a>
Topics will cover Smalltalk, the impact of the .Net initiative,
internet application deployment, and how Vista Smalltalk is engineered.
The first subject posted is "Smalltalk's Third Wave".
Peter Fisk

[pfisk]

Vista Smalltalk is a very simple Smalltalk interpreter designed for the
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) environment.

So far, I have been able to demonstrate that:
1) Vst can run in the Internet Explorer 7 browser
2) Vst can duplicate some MS demos but with far less code
3) Vst can run natively on the Vista desktop
4) Vst is a more stable interpreter than corresponding MS solutions

For an example of (2), see July 21 post in
https://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/
For an example of (4), see "What is the current state of scripting in
.NET?' (June 13) in the
microsoft.public.dotnet.scripting newsgroup.

The new WPF and WPF/E libraries are going to facilitate many types of
applications:
- a better replacement for Javascript/Ajax
- data visualization
- more flexible groupware apps
- simpler end user scripting
- learning apps for children
- apps that can run unchanged on desktops/browsers/cellphones
- dynamic apps that can be modified while in use

Microsoft does not expect to bring out an interpreter for WPF before
2007. In the meantime, their preferred approach is to build statically
compiled programs with the aid of a series of complex tools.

So, there now exists a vacuum in the emerging market for WPF tools. The
need is for something simple, robust, portable, and intuitive.

Vista Smalltalk is an attempt to fill that role. Maybe it will succeed
or maybe not.

In any case, the future has yet to be written...

Post by Bernard Notarianni
First time I ear about vista smalltalk as well but it looks very very
interesting :-)
https://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/2006/07/08/vista-smalltalk-download/

Post by Thomas Gagne
Am I the only one who doesn't know about Vista Smalltalk? Is it a MS
product? I see a bunch of blogs but who makes it? Where do you find
it? Do I wait for Vista? Can I get it on XP? Am I going for the bait?

Post by pfisk
I have started a new blog entitled <a
href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com">Microsoft
.Net and the Smalltalk Language</a>
Topics will cover Smalltalk, the impact of the .Net initiative,
internet application deployment, and how Vista Smalltalk is engineered.
The first subject posted is "Smalltalk's Third Wave".
Peter Fisk

[Peter Kenny]

Post by pfisk
Vista Smalltalk is a very simple Smalltalk interpreter designed for the
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) environment.

Vista Smalltalk looks very interesting. I wonder if it would be useful for a
project I have in mind.

There is a collection of tools (components) for time series analysis being
developed in C# for .net; the tools are largely computational, with no GUI
as yet. I would like to use something like Vista St to develop a civilised
front end for these tools, able to select and format input data for
analysis, instantiate the appropriate analysis tool, run the analysis,
collect output and present results largely in graphical form.

Would Vista St be able to handle the communication with the C# objects,
which looks like the only really difficult part of the operation?

Many thanks

Peter Kenny

[pfisk]

We are preparing an SDK for adding arbitrary .Net assemblies to the
runtime.

These assemblies may be written in any .Net language and can be for any
purpose: eg computational, advanced graphics, secure communications,
etc.

The procedure is simple:
- add your assembly(s) to the SDK solution set
- enter the classes to be exposed to Smalltalk into the TypeDef table
- compile the solution to generate a new vsrun.dll
- in the Smalltalk code, add the necessay primitive methods

Your new Smalltalk should now have your computation methods built in.

The new solution should also be deployable in a browser, as long as the
methods you add respect the browser security model.

-- Peter Fisk

Post by Peter Kenny

Post by pfisk
Vista Smalltalk is a very simple Smalltalk interpreter designed for the
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) environment.

Vista Smalltalk looks very interesting. I wonder if it would be useful for a
project I have in mind.
There is a collection of tools (components) for time series analysis being
developed in C# for .net; the tools are largely computational, with no GUI
as yet. I would like to use something like Vista St to develop a civilised
front end for these tools, able to select and format input data for
analysis, instantiate the appropriate analysis tool, run the analysis,
collect output and present results largely in graphical form.
Would Vista St be able to handle the communication with the C# objects,
which looks like the only really difficult part of the operation?
Many thanks
Peter Kenny

[Thomas Gagne]

What I haven't figure out is who created it.

[pfisk]

Post by Thomas Gagne
What I haven't figure out is who created it.

I wrote it over a period of several years. An earlier version was
released as "Vmx Smalltalk" in 2004.
You can read more about its history and engineering decisions on my
blog: http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com

-- Peter Fisk

[gregarican]

Is this similar in concept to S#, that allowed a Smalltalk dialect to
exist as something running on top of the .Net Common Language Runtime?

Post by pfisk

Post by Thomas Gagne
What I haven't figure out is who created it.

I wrote it over a period of several years. An earlier version was
released as "Vmx Smalltalk" in 2004.
You can read more about its history and engineering decisions on my
blog: http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com
-- Peter Fisk

[pfisk]

The implementations are very different.

IIRC, S# had a separate VM which ran outside the CLR - I never fully
understood how it shared objects, processes, etc with the CLR.

Vista Smalltalk is written 100% in C#, so it is a standard .Net
application. It uses only .Net classes which are available in IE7, and
therefore it can also be run as an XBAP program in the browser.

I believe that I can also accomodate any restrictions that might be
part of the WPF/E runtime - the goal is to have a Smalltalk interpreter
that can run on the desktop, in IE7, or in any browser supporting the
WPF/E plugin (Firefox, Opera, etc).

S# supported multiple language dialects; Vista Smalltalk supports the
Squeak Smalltalk dialect only.

Post by gregarican
Is this similar in concept to S#, that allowed a Smalltalk dialect to
exist as something running on top of the .Net Common Language Runtime?

Post by pfisk

Post by Thomas Gagne
What I haven't figure out is who created it.

I wrote it over a period of several years. An earlier version was
released as "Vmx Smalltalk" in 2004.
You can read more about its history and engineering decisions on my
blog: http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com
-- Peter Fisk

[dan]

Post by pfisk
S# supported multiple language dialects; Vista Smalltalk supports the
Squeak Smalltalk dialect only.

Are you using some Squeak code? Or does the Squeak licensing prevent that?

Daniel

[pfisk]

There is no dependency on Squeak code at all.

The interpreter kernel was originally written to implement Lisp - I
posted it as "NetLisp 0.7" in 2003, but there was no community
interest.

In 2004, I developed a Smalltalk parser using the Antlr parser
generator, and released "Vmx Smalltalk" in both .Net and Java versions.
Again, there seemed to be very little interest.

There have been two other releases using Antlr generated parsers,
"DotBasic" which was modelled on Microsoft's VBA, and "Vistascript"
which was modelled on the Javascript 2.0 proposal. Neither received
much interest.

The situation now is that I have been able to tweak the interpreter to
run in the IE7 browser, and probably any browser or device supporting
WPF/E. Also, it runs natively as a Vista desktop application.

So, I have dusted off the Smalltalk parser, and brought out "Vista
Smalltalk" as a scripting language for rich client applications. The
main competition is Javascript/Ajax.

We'll see how things go as browser based applications (XBAP) start to
become popular. I'm hoping that developers will accept Smalltalk as the
Internet scripting language. If not, I can repackage another language
very quickly...

Post by dan

Post by pfisk
S# supported multiple language dialects; Vista Smalltalk supports the
Squeak Smalltalk dialect only.

Are you using some Squeak code? Or does the Squeak licensing prevent that?
Daniel

[CalmoSoft]

CalmoSoft Project for Vista Smalltalk:
http://files.calmosoft.webnode.hu/200000016-e8e2ce9dd1/CalmoSoft_Project_20130830.zip

[guo]

It interested me at the first sight earlier but I am sorry to not have
a Vista to try it out with...have to wait now.

For people in China like me please visit the blog through:
http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/
since wordpress.com is banned.

pfisk 写道：

Post by pfisk
Vista Smalltalk is a very simple Smalltalk interpreter designed for the
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) environment.
1) Vst can run in the Internet Explorer 7 browser
2) Vst can duplicate some MS demos but with far less code
3) Vst can run natively on the Vista desktop
4) Vst is a more stable interpreter than corresponding MS solutions
For an example of (2), see July 21 post in
https://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/

[gregarican]

It runs on Windows XP as well. Just need to load WinFX 3.0 and perhaps
Internet Explorer 5 Beta 3.

Post by guo
It interested me at the first sight earlier but I am sorry to not have
a Vista to try it out with...have to wait now.
http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/
since wordpress.com is banned.
pfisk 写道：

Post by pfisk
Vista Smalltalk is a very simple Smalltalk interpreter designed for the
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) environment.
1) Vst can run in the Internet Explorer 7 browser
2) Vst can duplicate some MS demos but with far less code
3) Vst can run natively on the Vista desktop
4) Vst is a more stable interpreter than corresponding MS solutions
For an example of (2), see July 21 post in
https://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/

[q***@gmail.com]

Hey guys,

This is Hiten from Quality IT Source, and we are looking for and
experienced SmallTalk programmer for my client at Florida, for a 6+
months contract.

If interest please contact ASAP

Thanks

Hiten
***@qualityitsource.com
732 579 8311
732 962 1587

Post by gregarican
It runs on Windows XP as well. Just need to load WinFX 3.0 and perhaps
Internet Explorer 5 Beta 3.

Post by guo
It interested me at the first sight earlier but I am sorry to not have
a Vista to try it out with...have to wait now.
http://anonymouse.org/cgi-bin/anon-www.cgi/http://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/
since wordpress.com is banned.
pfisk 写道：

Post by pfisk
Vista Smalltalk is a very simple Smalltalk interpreter designed for the
WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) environment.
1) Vst can run in the Internet Explorer 7 browser
2) Vst can duplicate some MS demos but with far less code
3) Vst can run natively on the Vista desktop
4) Vst is a more stable interpreter than corresponding MS solutions
For an example of (2), see July 21 post in
https://vistasmalltalk.wordpress.com/

[CalmoSoft]

CalmoSoft Project for Vista Smalltalk:
http://files.calmosoft.webnode.hu/200000016-e8e2ce9dd1/CalmoSoft_Project_20130830.zip