Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
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From: dbuck@superior.carleton.ca (Dave Buck)
Subject: Re: Smalltalk-80: The Language
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References: <vwjspiim84b.fsf@osfb.aber.ac.uk> <4ba7eq$phk@newsbf02.news.aol.com> <yf34tuvf1p3.fsf_-_@sabi.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 13:10:07 GMT
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>All these can still be almost always reliably used to program in their
>respective languages, and as a rule they document very reliably the
>design decisions for those languages. There are updates for all of them,
>bu they are still used as the basis for discussion. Smalltalk-80,
>according to Dave Buck, has really not changed from 1989 (99% is the
>same), and according to Jonathan Wong, the core library of classes has
>not changed much either (85% the same), whatever they mean.

Actually, I didn't say that.  What I said was:

  The basic Smalltalk syntax has changed little since the publication of
  the Blue Book.  The only major changes are:
     - addition of temporaries within blocks
     - addition of double precision float literals
     - support for class instance variables
     - change of assignment symbol to :=
     - underscores are now allowed in identifiers

  There may be a few other changes that I can't remember right now.  The
  class library, however, has changed dramatically.  The UI classes are
  all changed, Forms don't exist any more, the behavior hierarchy has
  changed, screens and windows are completely changed, double precision
  floats have been added and many more.

The basic Smalltalk syntax is not normally considered to be
"Smalltalk-80" the language.  In fact, I'm not sure I could define
what is or is not part of "Smalltalk-80" the language.

David Buck
dbuck@ccs.carleton.ca

_________________________________
| David K. Buck                 |
| dbuck@ccs.carleton.ca         |
| The Object People             |
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