Back to the Future: The Story of Squeak, A Practical Smalltalk Written in Itself
📜 Abstract
The Squeak programming system is an open, highly-portable Smalltalk-80 implementation whose virtual machine is written entirely in Smalltalk-80, yet is fast enough to support real-time animation and sound. We describe the design and implementation of a new Smalltalk-80 system and supporting tools that benefit from a detailed analysis of the original Smalltalk-80 implementation while showcasing new innovations aimed at portability and multimedia capabilities.
✨ Summary
The paper titled ‘Back to the Future: The Story of Squeak, A Practical Smalltalk Written in Itself’ by Dan Ingalls, Ted Kaehler, John Maloney, Scott Wallace, and Alan Kay, presents a comprehensive overview of the Squeak programming system, emphasizing its self-sufficiency and portability. The virtual machine (VM) of Squeak is written entirely in Smalltalk-80, which allows for consistent development and robust performance, enabling real-time animation and sound that were significant at the time of publication in 1997. Squeak showcased important advancements in software portability and multimedia capabilities.
The authors focused on refining and expanding the original Smalltalk-80 system, resulting in an open-source platform that appeals to educators, developers, and researchers interested in object-oriented programming. The architecture and language enhancements provided by Squeak have been notably influential in the development of subsequent programming environments and educational tools. Following its release, Squeak became a cornerstone in projects aiming to utilize virtual machines that are self-hosting and capable of executing real-time operations efficiently.
In terms of influence, Squeak has inspired various projects and tools within the research community, including the development of Scratch, an educational programming language designed for children, which uses Squeak as its underlying technology. Additionally, the system’s cross-platform nature has made it a model for later virtual machine designs aimed at achieving broad compatibility and ease of access.
For further exploration of Squeak’s impact, one can look into how it influenced programming languages and systems that prioritize both educational and multimedia functionalities. Specific citations and sources regarding Squeak’s influence in subsequent research or industry applications could not be determined from a quick search or the document itself. However, the described contributions highlight its role in advancing the development of virtual machines and educational programming tools broadly.