Yes, it's true. Most Smalltalk dialects use a special IDE. This is because the biggest advantage of using Smalltalk for development is the "live" programming en

Yes, it's true. Most Smalltalk dialects use a special IDE. This is because the biggest advantage of using Smalltalk for development is the "live" programming environment where you can examine any object in the executing program (thanks to Smalltalk's astonishing reflection capabilities) and you can alter the running code and watch the results in real time. This is not possible with conventional, file-based tools such as Emacs or Eclipse. Smalltalk development is a fundamentally different paradigm from the conventional, file-based development process. It does require you to adapt to a new way of doing things, but this confers fantastic benefits. The combination of super-simple and elegant syntax with a powerful IDE makes developers much more productive than programming in Java or C++ [1]. Having a simple syntax minimizes the cognitive load on the programmer, making it very easy to master the programming tool. When you master your tools, you work at maximum efficiency and effectiveness. However, if you really must use your file-based tools, there is a command-line Smalltalk called Gnu Smalltalk. IMO, however, giving up on live programming is too great a sacrifice just for this obsession with file-based editors and tools. [1] https://smalltalkrenaissance.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/smalltalks-proven-productivity/ https://smalltalkrenaissance.wordpress.com/2015/02/16/smallt...