This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Python Buzz by Ng Pheng Siong. Original Post: A Little Smalltalk Feed Title: (render-blog Ng Pheng Siong) Feed URL: http://sandbox.rulemaker.net/ngps/rdf10_xml Feed Description: Just another this here thing blog. Latest Python Buzz Posts Latest Python Buzz Posts by Ng Pheng Siong Latest Posts From (render-blog Ng Pheng Siong)

For a Windows project I need to do UDP sockets. I could hardly believe it when I discovered that LispWorks, my usual Windows doodling board, doesn't support it out of the box. Boo-hiss!

Anyways, I've been meaning to play with Smalltalk, and this is as good an excuse as any to start. I decided to look into Squeak and Smalltalk/X, each of which is available on Windows and FreeBSD.

Installing Squeak from the FreeBSD port is straightforward. Installation of Smalltalk/X on FreeBSD, and both it and Squeak on Windows, is just a matter of downloading and unpacking the appropriate zip archives.

When I program in Perl (a long time ago) and Python, I use vim and a shell window. With Common Lisp, I use Emacs, or the implementation's Emacsy editor. With Smalltalk, in general, each implementation comes with a truly integrated IDE, sporting well-known components such as browsers and workspaces. I've read a couple of books on Smalltalk, so the syntax isn't alien and what I mostly need is to become familiar with the IDE.

This tutorial, written for Squeak, serves as a very good introduction to programming in Smalltalk. After working through it with Squeak, I did the same with Smalltalk/X. It was an interesting exercise and show up some differences in the implementations' "behind the wheel" experience.

On to UDP sockets next!