[net.lang.st80] Smalltalk Applications

dcn@ihuxl.UUCP (Dave Newkirk) (07/23/84)

Smalltalk is an applications development environment, so a good question would
be "what applications does Smalltalk do well?"  My impression, from a
presentation by Xerox, is that Smalltalk is roughly equivalent in power to
Interlisp-D, and is now being used for the same types of jobs.  This includes
rapid prototyping, artificial intelligence, expert systems, simulation, and
improved user interfaces.  I think Smalltalk has some advantages over Interlisp
due to its different language structure and the predefined objects, which make
it easier to get started.  New applications will probably emerge as Smalltalk
environment leaves the ivory towers of Xerox.
					Dave Newkirk, ihnp4!ihuxl!dcn

mdrutenberg@watmath.UUCP (Mike Rutenberg) (07/27/84)

Date: Wed, 25 Jul 84 10:08 EDT
From: Marshall.wbst@Xerox.Arpa
Subject: Re: Smalltalk Applications
To: Smalltalk80Interest^.pa@Xerox.Arpa

I wrote an extensive optical analysis package in
Smalltalk-76 which was used in a successful product
program.  The ability in smalltalk of substituting objects
obeying a numerical protocol for actual numbers
was essential for the capability and efficiency of
the program.  If I had access to a version of smalltalk
with fast floating-point and array operations it would
be my language of choice for all numerical work.

--Sidney