Smalltalk
The pioneering {object-oriented programming} system
developed by the Software Concepts Group, led by {Alan Kay},
at {Xerox PARC} in 1972. It includes a language (usually
interpreted), a programming environment, and an extensive
object library.
Smalltalk took the concepts of {class} and {message} from
{Simula-67} and made them all-pervasive. Innovations included
the {bitmap display}, windowing system and use of a {mouse}.
The syntax is very simple. The fundamental construction is to
send a message to an {object}:
object message
or with extra parameters
object message: param1 secondArg: param2 .. nthArg: paramN
where "secondArg:" etc. are considered to be part of the
message name.
Two pseudo-variables are defined: "self" - the receiver of the
current message and "super" - an object of the current class's
{superclass}. Smalltalk does not have {multiple inheritance}
so each class can have at most one superclass.
Early versions: Smalltalk-72, Smalltalk-74, Smalltalk-76
(inheritance taken from Simula, and concurrency), and
Smalltalk-78, {Smalltalk-80}. Other versions: {Little
Smalltalk}, {GNU Smalltalk}, {Smalltalk/V}.
See also {International Smalltalk Association}, {Kamin's
interpreters}.
{UIUC Smalltalk archive (http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/)}.
{FAQ (http://XCF.Berkeley.EDU/pub/misc/smalltalk/FAQ/)}.
{Usenet} newsgroup: {news:comp.smalltalk}.
["The Smalltalk-76 Programming System Design and
Implementation", D.H. Ingalls, 5th POPL, ACM 1978, pp. 9-16].
(1995-02-14)