[comp.lang.smalltalk] Smalltalk-80 version 2.5

andrew@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Jones) (11/28/89)

I wonder if anyone could help me with the following query:

I need to find out about Smalltalk-80 version 2.5, and Objectworks for
Smalltalk-80. Obviously the best way to do this would be to purchase the
system and explore, but at the moment we don't have any hardware available
on which to run the system (No 386 PCs; no suitable MACs; our SUNs are
SUNs of Very Little Brain (memory!)).

Have any fellow-Smalltalkers had experience of this system? If so, how
does it differ from the Smalltalk with which I am familiar (Smalltalk-80
version T2.1.2a for the Tektronix 4404)? What I am particularly interested
in is how much change there has been in the classes concerned with I/O
and user interfaces.

Thanks in advance for any help that people are able to give.

Andrew Jones
============

andrew@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Jones) (12/19/89)

I would like to thank people for responding to my query about ST80 v. 2.5.
It seems that it is still definitely SMALLTALK, and that at a blue-book
level and MVC level there is little changed from earlier versions. Improvements
have been made to some of the lower-level aspects of Smalltalk, such as
the file system, and BlockContexts. One thing that was of particular
relief to me was that the Debugger now works at full speed, not the
estimated 1/1000th of the ordinary speed which it used to work at (see
somewhere in The Green Book for this estimate).

Actually, we have found out since my posting that it is possible to put
ST80 up on one of the SUN machines in its current configuration, and have
very recently received ST80 version 2.5. It seems alright, although I find
it very frustrating that execution freezes when I move the cursor to the
border of the window in which Smalltalk is running. I suppose it's just
that I'm used to Smalltalk taking over the machine.

Anyway, thanks again!

Andrew.

khaw@parcplace.com (Mike Khaw) (12/21/89)

andrew@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Jones) writes:

>very recently received ST80 version 2.5. It seems alright, although I find
>it very frustrating that execution freezes when I move the cursor to the
>border of the window in which Smalltalk is running. I suppose it's just
>that I'm used to Smalltalk taking over the machine.

Would you care to explain what you mean by "execution freezes"?  I often
initiate fileIns, GCs, snapshots, etc., and then immediately move to some
other Sunview window to do other things while ST80 does its stuff.  I
wouldn't call that "execution freezing".
-- 
Mike Khaw
ParcPlace Systems, Inc., 1550 Plymouth St., Mountain View, CA 94043
Domain=khaw@parcplace.com, UUCP=...!{uunet,sun,decwrl}!parcplace!khaw