Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
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From: <bhunter@cat.bbsr.edu> (Bill Hunter)
Subject: Re: Reusable Components
Message-ID: <527cb$d142c.3e1@cat.bbsr.edu>
Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 16:31:19 GMT
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gregoryb@execpc.com (greg b) wrote:

> Can Smalltalk build reusable components that can be accessed from Powerbuild
> or Visual Basic like C++?  If it can, how does it accomplish it?

Depends what you mean by reusable components, but basically the answer
is yes, at least for Digitalk products on Windows, NT, and OS/2.
Digitalk Visual Smalltalk can be used to create DLL's that can be
accessed from almost any language.  You can also use DDE to pass data
to Smalltalk apps, but this is less directly relevant to the question
you were asking.

If you mean "Can Smalltalk create Visual Basic VBX's?", not yet.  I've
been told that it's coming Real Soon Now, along with the ability to
create OCX's.  Some Digitalk person reading this might care to
amplify.

I don't believe the story is as positive for Parc Place Visual Works,
though I'd love to be contradicted by Parc Place.  My understanding is
that Parc Place does target more PC capability in '95, and that this
will include the ability to create DLL's, VBX's, etc.  It remains to
be seen how this can fit in with their strong focus on providing
complete portability to UNIX systems where these are foreign concepts.




