IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

The Early History of Smalltalk (1993)

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Three prevalent themes in the discussion

  1. Nostalgia and regret over Smalltalk’s decline
    Many commenters mourn that a technically superior language failed to dominate and express the joy they felt when using it.
  2. “I am … mostly sad about the incredible language that should have 'won' .. well .. everything!” – mwnorman2

  3. “I really loved it. What I admired most was that you ‘lived’ in your program.” – jttnr

  4. Smalltalk’s lasting influence on other languages and tools
    Users repeatedly point out how Smalltalk shaped later environments such as Objective‑C/NeXTSTEP, Java’s VM, Self, and even modern IDEs.

  5. “A lot of people don't know that Smalltalk heavily influenced NeXTSTEP and Objective‑C.” – slowin
  6. “Which then influenced Mesa, Cedar, Interlisp‑D … which had an influence on Rob Pike … on how he developed ACME for Plan 9.” – pjmlp

  7. “NeXTSTEP can be thought of as a ‘pragmatic Smalltalk environment’ … built on Objective‑C.” – linguae

  8. Cost, licensing, and the rise of free/open‑source Smalltalks
    The high price of commercial Smalltalk offerings is contrasted with the availability of free implementations like Pharo and Squeak, which keep the language alive for hobbyists and educators.

  9. “I really wish that there was a license/version/build marketed to hobbyists: >Call or Email for Pricing and the upgrade pricing is four figures.” – WillAdams
  10. “Dad is … a happy user of pharo nowadays which is free, opensource and under active development.” – Paradigm2020
  11. “There is Pharo (and Squeak) as a free SmallTalk.” – pasc1878
  12. “Instantiations … still ship a new release every year of Smalltalk.” – wslh

🚀 Project Ideas

Hobbyist Smalltalk Studio

Summary

  • A bundled, zero‑cost Smalltalk development environment (based on Pharo) with a simplified installer, built‑in tutorials, and a hobbyist‑friendly license that removes the “Call or Email for Pricing” barrier.
  • Core value proposition: gives hobbyists and learners instant access to a professional Smalltalk IDE with live debugging, object inspector, and one‑click deployment.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Hobbyist programmers, students, and retro‑computing enthusiasts who want to experiment with Smalltalk without paying enterprise licenses.
Core Feature One‑click install of Pharo VM + IDE + pre‑loaded learning projects + optional cheap commercial add‑on store.
Tech Stack Pharo VM (C++/Smalltalk), Qt/Electron for wrapper, SQLite for local repo, GitHub Actions for updates.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: marketplace for paid libraries/plugins (e.g., $4.99 per add‑on)

Notes

  • HN commenters lamented the high cost (“upgrade pricing is four figures”) and wished for a hobbyist‑licensed build (WillAdams).
  • Provides the live, inspectable experience that made Smalltalk enjoyable (jttnr: “you ‘lived’ in your program”) and could spark discussion about reviving Smalltalk in modern curricula.

LiveSmalltalk Web REPL

Summary

  • A browser‑based Smalltalk REPL that offers hot‑reloading, live object inspection, and the ability to modify running web pages via Smalltalk code, delivering the tight feedback loop Smalltalk fans miss in modern web dev.
  • Core value proposition: brings Smalltalk‑style live programming to everyday JavaScript/TypeScript projects, letting developers see changes instantly without full reloads.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Web developers who use HMR and want a more interactive, object‑centric debugging experience (gobdovan: “programming feels that it will get closer Smalltalk … live medium + short feedback loops”).
Core Feature Embeddable Smalltalk VM (via WASM) that can inspect and mutate DOM objects, with a side‑panel object explorer and edit‑continue workflow.
Tech Stack Pharo compiled to WebAssembly, Service Worker for HMR, React/Vue for UI, IndexedDB for persistence.
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • gobdovan explicitly noted the desire for inspection tools and contextual changes when models modify code, mirroring Smalltalk’s live medium.
  • Could reignite discussion about integrating live programming into front‑end toolchains and serve as a teaching aid for OOP concepts.

Smalltalk Visual Builder for Education

Summary

  • A drag‑and‑drop visual programming environment that lets users build Smalltalk/Pharo applications by connecting objects and generating clean Smalltalk code, aimed at educators and beginners.
  • Core value proposition: lowers the barrier to entry for Smalltalk by providing immediate visual feedback and generated code that can be inspected and edited live.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Educators, students, and non‑programmers interested in learning OOP through a Smalltalk‑flavored visual language (Paradigm2020: Pharo is free and active; jttnr: loved Smalltalk’s live feel).
Core Feature Visual block‑style editor that outputs Pharo methods, with live preview and object inspector that updates as blocks are changed.
Tech Stack Electron or NW.js for desktop, Blockly or custom SVG editor, Pharo VM embedded via FFI, SQLite for project storage.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: educational institution licensing ($5 per student per year)

Notes

  • jttnr praised the “lived in your program” feeling; a visual builder would preserve that immediacy while making it accessible to newcomers.
  • Could spark discussion on visual OOP teaching tools and provide a practical utility for classrooms seeking a modern Smalltalk experience.

Read Later