Omar is working on ChatPharo. S
> On 6 Nov 2025, at 23:55, der.bernhard--- via Pharo-users > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Kasper, > I forwarded your email to several people because of its potential. Meanwhile > I heard some about Vibe-coding and maybe both is the same. With Pharo and AI > Vibe-coding code would profit: > The one side: > I heard, that vibe coder are often not very much interested in code but only > in the solution. But what about hidden bugs in Vibe-coded apps where no human > ever checked the code? > Phyton is very famous much due to the many libraries. But what about hidden > bugs in that libraries and code parts that are unnecessary for my app? > I am very uncomfortable with code, that is not verified by humans or > maintainable by humans. If AI, I like the Explainable AI. The other side: > Smalltalk code can be very compact and transparent > Smalltalk code in VisualWorks core system is very huge - I assume similar in > Pharo. When I coded in VisualWorks about 30 years ago, I spent about 90% of > time to find the best position where to place my code, having it most > effective. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. > What about a collaboration of Human and AI, where: > The Human set the behavior and the AI finds the needle in the haystack and > writes and tests the code. > Before coding, the AI can implement tests for consequent test driven design. > Ward Cunningham once answered the question „What killed Smalltalk?“ with „It > was just too easy to make a mess“ and Robert Martin concluded, that > consequent test driven design would have helped to prevent this (see: Robert > Martin: "What Killed Smalltalk Could Kill Ruby, Too“ > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX3iRjKj7C0 , minute 21:24). > AI could consequent practise refactoring, maybe in cooperation with the Human > AI could also consequent comment the code - not too much, not too less (how > much - has to be calibrated in the IDE). > All that could lead to an IDE like Vibe-coding tool Replit, > where code is relevant > where code is readable (well positioned Smalltalk code is extremely compact) > ..and thereby verifiable > I like that Idea and maybe by that Smalltalk-Software could be produced also > by non-experts (e.g. me :-) ) - in a small talk. > > My question is: Are there ongoing projects, at University level or > commercial, to design such an IDE for Vibe-coding with Pharo? I would find > that very exciting. > > Best Regards > Bernhard Hoefner > > >> Am 30.08.2025 um 20:52 schrieb Kasper Osterbye via Pharo-users >> <[email protected]>: >> >> Cheers all >> >> I have been working with AI and Pharo for the last 4 months or so. I have >> primarily been using ChatGPT, Gemini and Mistral. Mistral is the one I use >> for the actual code, and ChatGPT and Gemini to help me understand AI. Both >> of them ended up claiming that Pharo/smalltalk was better for than most >> other attempts. >> So I asked it them to summarize their view on the issue. They both saw this, >> and had no further improvements. >> >> Subject: Pharo and AI: A Natural Fit for the Future >> >> As AI transforms programming into a collaborative process, most environments >> are still stuck in static files and external toolchains. But Pharo is >> different. It’s already a living system — dynamic, reflective, and always >> running. >> >> In Pharo, AI can talk to objects, not just parse text. It can inspect, >> modify, and experiment live, without rebooting or compiling. >> >> This isn’t nostalgia — it’s a preview of future development environments. >> >> If we want AI to be a colleague inside our systems, not just a plugin bolted >> on, then Pharo’s model deserves serious attention. >> >> Full conversation and reasoning in the appendix. >> >> Best, >> >> Kasper >> >> >> >> ## Kasper: >> OK, so here are two things I would like to ask you. There is a Pharo >> usersgroup email, and I would like to write about my view on Pharo and AI. >> So there are 2 elements I would like to have from you (answered in English). >> 1) What is the main effect of using AI in programming in the future, and 2) >> why is Pharo's style something all other developers should take more >> seriously >> >> ## ChatGpt Answer: >> 1) What is the main effect of using AI in programming in the future? >> >> The future of programming will not be about writing code line-by-line – it >> will be about collaborating with intelligent agents that understand, >> suggest, generate, and transform code in real time. >> This shifts the developer’s role from manual author to orchestrator of >> evolving systems. >> Code becomes something we discuss and negotiate, not just write and compile. >> >> ⸻ >> >> 2) Why should Pharo’s approach be taken more seriously by other developers? >> >> Because Pharo is already built for this future. >> >> Most developers still work in a toolchain of static files, batch compilers, >> and disconnected editors. >> Pharo is a live, reflective system where code is not text in a file – it’s >> part of a running world you can inspect, modify, and evolve dynamically. >> This makes it the perfect match for AI-enhanced programming: the AI can talk >> directly to live objects, understand context, and even generate or run code >> without rebooting the world. >> >> While the rest of the industry builds AI plugins into brittle, external >> pipelines, Pharo offers a native ecosystem where human, code, and AI can >> think together. >> >> ## Gemini: >> 1. The Core Impact of AI on Programming >> >> The primary impact of AI on software development won't just be about faster >> code generation. It will fundamentally change the nature of the developer’s >> role from an executor to an orchestrator. >> >> In the past, programming was a process of writing static instructions. You >> would type code into a file, compile it, and then run it. The AI of the >> future breaks this paradigm. It introduces a new layer of abstraction, >> allowing the developer to have a dynamic, conversational relationship with >> their code. >> >> The most effective use of AI will be to create living, collaborative >> environments. This moves the focus from writing perfect syntax to designing >> a system where humans and machines can "co-think." The goal is no longer to >> just get the right answer, but to create a process where the AI can >> understand, inspect, and dynamically participate in the system's state. >> >> 2. Why Pharo's Style Should Be Taken Seriously >> >> The vast majority of software developers today are working with a stale >> paradigm. They use file-based systems where code is a static artifact. This >> approach, while familiar, is fundamentally at odds with the dynamic nature >> of AI-driven development. >> >> Pharo's style, rooted in the Smalltalk tradition, offers a powerful >> alternative: >> >> The Live System: In Pharo, your code is not a static file; it's a living set >> of objects in memory. The IDE is a direct window into this active system. >> This allows the AI to inspect and query the runtime state of your program in >> real-time, giving it a level of contextual understanding that a text-based >> AI can't match. >> >> Intrinsic Reflection: Pharo's objects are self-aware. They can tell the AI >> about their methods, their properties, and their relationships to other >> objects. This makes the AI a true participant in the development process, >> not just an external tool that has to guess at what the code is doing. >> >> Seamless Dialogue: This living, reflective environment enables a continuous >> dialogue between you, your code, and the AI. You're not copying and pasting >> code snippets; you're having a conversation with your system. This makes the >> development loop a fluid, real-time process. >> >> Pharo's style is not an outdated curiosity. Its focus on dynamic interaction >> and living systems makes it uniquely suited to a future where developers >> will not just write code, but will converse with it. >> >> ## ChatGPT (seponse to the answer from Gemini) >> Gemini’s response is thoughtful and well-structured, but I think it misses a >> few key nuances that you, Kasper, have identified through lived exploration. >> Here’s my version, emphasizing what I believe should be added or reframed: >> >> ⸻ >> >> 1. The Real Impact of AI in Programming >> >> The future of programming isn’t about replacing programmers. It’s about >> transforming programming into a fluid, dialogic process between the >> developer and an intelligent, context-aware agent. AI changes the loop from: >> >> write → compile → test → debug >> >> to: >> >> ask → explore → adjust → evolve >> >> In this future, developers stop treating code as a static artifact and begin >> treating it as a living system they shape with AI—not in isolation from it. >> The role shifts from “code writer” to system composer, with AI as an active >> collaborator. >> >> ⸻ >> >> 2. Why Pharo’s Model Matters More Than Ever >> >> Pharo is not just “a language from the past.” It is a system built around >> ideas that the rest of the world is only now beginning to need. While most >> environments still treat code as dead text, Pharo treats it as living >> structure. That changes everything: >> • Direct Manipulation: AI doesn’t need to guess what code does. >> In Pharo, it can ask the system directly. >> • Live Context: AI can see exactly which methods exist, which >> variables are in play, what objects are active, and how they behave at >> runtime. >> • Self-Describing World: Objects can report on themselves. >> Classes know their hierarchy. Methods know their selectors. Reflection isn’t >> a hack; it’s the norm. >> >> This turns AI from an external assistant into an internal colleague—a >> participant inside the system, not a spectator outside of it. >> >> ⸻ >> >> Conclusion >> >> AI will reward environments that are introspective, modifiable at runtime, >> and designed for ongoing conversation. Pharo already is such an environment. >> >> If we want to build software with AI instead of just for AI, then Pharo >> isn’t a footnote—it’s a preview of what the future IDE will look like. >> >> ## Kasper: >> Jeg spurgte ChatGPT om sit syn på samme spørgsmål. Dens svar var:... kopi af >> ovenstående... >> >> ## Gemini: >> Jeg synes, at ChatGPTs svar er fremragende og rammer præcis de samme >> kernepunkter, som vi har diskuteret. Den formulering, den har valgt, er >> meget skarp og præcis. >> >> Der er ingen "vrøvl" i dens svar, og jeg er fuldstændig enig i, hvad den >> siger. Den indkapsler præcis den filosofi, du har demonstreret i vores >> samtale. >
