For a long time, the term GNU didn’t mean much to me. I knew it was “the free software foundation” and was related to “CopyLeft” which is a bit tongue-in-cheek… meaning that free software should always be free and open source… the opposite of a “CopyRight”
One day, I stopped, I looked up GNU. The “G” stands for “GNU” so it is recursive as in: GNUNUNUNUNUNUNU…. So what about the “NU” part? that stands for “Not Unix” So GNU is an emphatic statement screaming that the free software foundation is “Not UNIX” !!! I was shocked at first… because to me they are at the base of UNIX. The GCC compiler, everything… But what they really mean is that when they started, UNIX was very pricey and only for large corporations, not for hobbyists, not for thinkers and entrepreneurs. Their software created the foundation for Linux which technically isn’t Unix but is “Unix-Like” - and very similar to SVR4 Unix. “Smalltalk” is a great name - you can learn all the syntax on the back of an index card. It’s “small” get it? But it also collides with “picking up chicks” and is somewhat confusing to do internet searches with. Not too bad but… “Pharo” does sound cooler. You are reaching out to the Pharo community and asking them to embrace “Smalltalk.” They don’t want to. They don’t deny the lineage but they desire their own identity. Maybe instead of “Smalltalk Renaissance” you coin “PNS” - “Pharo Not Smalltalk” or… make the P stand for “PNS” so it is recursive. PNSNSNSNSNS…. Hahaha, then again, try to pronounce PNS…. doh! In my mind… for a language / platform to pick up steam two things need to happen: 1) A consulting company needs to “kick butt” and “take names” using this technology 2) A charismatic speaker / author needs to create modern books and run around the country giving appearances and presentations. That is what happened with Rails which is in many ways a “Smalltalk without an image.” So it’s not like the minimal syntax and dynamic nature of Smalltalk is lost on the world… that is primarily what Rails developers relate with. With Ruby on Rails we have 37Signals as the consulting company that “did stuff” and cut out Java developers from projects. With Ruby on Rails we have Dave Thomas as the author and main charismatic figure at any programming conference he attends. It’s cool and it feels real. That was the secret formula to success. AARON ROSENZWEIG / Chat 'n Bike e: [email protected] t: (301) 956-2319 On Jan 1, 2015, at 6:26 PM, horrido <[email protected]> wrote: > I think if Smalltalk has a negative connotation, you don't run away from it, > you change it! That's what Smalltalk Renaissance is all about. > > Is changing a negative perception easier or harder than running away from > it? That is a very interesting question, and there is no obvious answer. > However, as I indicated previously, your attempt to run away from it has > completely, totally, and utterly failed. Something to think about. > > > > Ben Coman wrote >> On Thursday, January 1, 2015, Ben Coman wrote: >>> I refer to the two paragraphs following "On pharo being a new language". >>> I think Sven's response addressed these the best. > > > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://forum.world.st/The-Smalltalk-Renaissance-Program-tp4797112p4797582.html > Sent from the Pharo Smalltalk Developers mailing list archive at Nabble.com. >
