Richard, some people choose to face it and some to evade it. It’s okay. I actually see as healthy that people try bold strategies aligned with the missions they embrace.
And I also see that is okay the community as a whole tries many strategies because concentrating is too risky and eventually from quantity comes quality. Nature loves to try everything and select what works best selecting in retrospective. The things that end up providing good results will have appreciation and replication in the next generation and the things that results so-so would be part of the story because even if reality wanted to go other direction, that people followed their mission and made their contribution. So time will tell. Recently I’ve answered in Quora this question What is the most influential software product or programming language that was ever created? <https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-influential-software-product-or-programming-language-that-was-ever-created/answer/Sebastian-Sastre?__snids__=868638797&__nsrc__=1&__filter__=all> and I cited the interview to Steve Jobs where he is telling the story of how he was inspired by seeing Smalltalk demoed in the Alto. After that, he knew how to create the right UX in the MacIntosh. That story is so crucial and inspiring that Malcom Gladwell <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Gladwell> wrote in the New Yorker about it <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/16/creation-myth>. Painfully enough for us, not mentioning Smalltalk in his writing which was the artifact at the epicenter of that inspiration (I really wonder why it wasn’t mentioned, is really weird). But even if it wasn’t mentioned, it doesn’t matter, not even Gladwell can re-write history and Smalltalk had and has a protagonist role in it. Given that Smalltalk has actually inspired Steve at that moment in time and the consequences in our culture, the impact is so massive that I am surprised that anyone would not to chose to embrace it with arms, legs and teeth. But, as said, that’s okay. The Multiverse has space for everybody. Possibilities are more abundant than ever. I think that everybody’s contribution is valuable, the Pharo community in particular, and that we are very lucky in having you wanting to do some PR for Smalltalk in general and Pharo in particular. Lastly, I don’t see Smalltalk as the ultimate language but for me is the one that is less far away from it. Until that utopian language of the future gets real, you’ll probably found me stuck to Smalltalk :) > On Jan 1, 2015, at 9:26 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. >
