3 ms·

Smalltalk is one of those languages I can’t wait to try once I have a project I feel it would be a good fit for. I can’t find good resources for learning it tho

Smalltalk is one of those languages I can’t wait to try once I have a project I feel it would be a good fit for. I can’t find good resources for learning it though, outside what seem to be dated video tutorials or books. Is it true that the original smalltalk books are mostly still good for Squeak?

blihp 6y ago
For the 'core' (i.e. non-interactive parts of the) language, that's still somewhat true. So for basic class/method definitions, collections classes etc. you could probably somewhat get by with the Blue Book. (with a massive caveat that the UI class hierarchy and interaction paradigm is completely different. Also, VM has gone through several iterations of changes that have necessitated some image-side changes which wouldn't track with the old books either.) However, your learning curve will be much easier if you start with a tutorial/reference targeting the dialect you want to work with. Then go back to things like the Blue Book to understand where it all came from and analyze the differences if you're so inclined.
morphle 6y ago
Yes the Blue book is still good. But there is not much language syntax to learn[1], you should start with using objects directly in the Squeak or Etoys environment, preferably a few Morphs. Even simpler, see these video tutorials[2]. You'll be fluent in the language in an hour. Learning the whole environment takes a few days. Even faster, do a screen sharing session with a Smalltalker like me. merik at fiberhood dot nl [1]Terse Squeak guide http://squeak.joyful.com/LanguageNotes http://squeak.joyful.com/LanguageNotes [2]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0iwNoV7Sptxi1qqWz_R9IA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0iwNoV7Sptxi1qqWz_R9IA
xkriva11 6y ago
The best start is the Pharo MOOC (https://mooc.pharo.org/ https://mooc.pharo.org/), videos from it are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKIjdjGjBU&list=PL2okA_2qDJ-kCHVcNXdO5wsUZJCY31zwf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKIjdjGjBU&list=PL2okA_2qDJ... Or the book Pharo by example (https://books.pharo.org/updated-pharo-by-example/ https://books.pharo.org/updated-pharo-by-example/)
rahoulb 6y ago
Philosophy-wise, "The Art and Science of Smalltalk" by Simon Lewis is very good.

blihp 6y ago

For the 'core' (i.e. non-interactive parts of the) language, that's still somewhat true. So for basic class/method definitions, collections classes etc. you could probably somewhat get by with the Blue Book. (with a massive caveat that the UI class hierarchy and interaction paradigm is completely different. Also, VM has gone through several iterations of changes that have necessitated some image-side changes which wouldn't track with the old books either.) However, your learning curve will be much easier if you start with a tutorial/reference targeting the dialect you want to work with. Then go back to things like the Blue Book to understand where it all came from and analyze the differences if you're so inclined.

morphle 6y ago

Yes the Blue book is still good. But there is not much language syntax to learn[1], you should start with using objects directly in the Squeak or Etoys environment, preferably a few Morphs. Even simpler, see these video tutorials[2]. You'll be fluent in the language in an hour. Learning the whole environment takes a few days. Even faster, do a screen sharing session with a Smalltalker like me. merik at fiberhood dot nl [1]Terse Squeak guide http://squeak.joyful.com/LanguageNotes http://squeak.joyful.com/LanguageNotes [2]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0iwNoV7Sptxi1qqWz_R9IA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0iwNoV7Sptxi1qqWz_R9IA

xkriva11 6y ago

The best start is the Pharo MOOC (https://mooc.pharo.org/ https://mooc.pharo.org/), videos from it are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKIjdjGjBU&list=PL2okA_2qDJ-kCHVcNXdO5wsUZJCY31zwf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUKIjdjGjBU&list=PL2okA_2qDJ... Or the book Pharo by example (https://books.pharo.org/updated-pharo-by-example/ https://books.pharo.org/updated-pharo-by-example/)

rahoulb 6y ago

Philosophy-wise, "The Art and Science of Smalltalk" by Simon Lewis is very good.