It covers some of the minimal syntax of Smalltalk but didn't touch on Smalltalk images, which is a major signature of Smalltalk.
A Smalltalk image contains every Smalltalk object. This includes classes (which are Smalltalk objects), instances of the classes, source code, the current running state, everything. You work within the image and interact with it.
Think of the image as a copy of your IDE, along with the compiler, your current project's source code, the compiled classes, methods, everything. You can save your image (state) at any time, not unlike the sleep feature of Windows and Mac. It's a live environment. During a programming session, you edit and save the code of class (it's automatically compiled) and every instance of that class is updated. This sounds like what you commonly have in many dynamic languages, but Smalltalk takes it to an extreme. You can re-configure your "IDE" as you go along since they are running in the same image, all the classes and objects are accessible. Or you can set breakpoints and step through code, changing code on the fly and resuming, all without stopping the "program" and starting again. Not unlike a graphical REPL.
Does anyone know if there's a similar tool utilizing the same concept other than Self?
I consider the image an implementation detail of Squeak or the original Smalltalk-implementation. You can implement Smalltalk the language without the image: http://smalltalk.gnu.org/
A Smalltalk image contains every Smalltalk object. This includes classes (which are Smalltalk objects), instances of the classes, source code, the current running state, everything. You work within the image and interact with it.
Think of the image as a copy of your IDE, along with the compiler, your current project's source code, the compiled classes, methods, everything. You can save your image (state) at any time, not unlike the sleep feature of Windows and Mac. It's a live environment. During a programming session, you edit and save the code of class (it's automatically compiled) and every instance of that class is updated. This sounds like what you commonly have in many dynamic languages, but Smalltalk takes it to an extreme. You can re-configure your "IDE" as you go along since they are running in the same image, all the classes and objects are accessible. Or you can set breakpoints and step through code, changing code on the fly and resuming, all without stopping the "program" and starting again. Not unlike a graphical REPL.
Does anyone know if there's a similar tool utilizing the same concept other than Self?