The Early History of Smalltalk

The story of Smalltalk began in the 1960s, during a time when the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) community was exploring ideas related to human-computer symbiosis through interactive time-shared computers, graphics screens, and pointing devices. Simultaneously, advanced computer languages were being developed to simulate complex systems and exhibit semi-intelligent behavior.

The shift towards modern personal computing, characterized by overlapping window interfaces and object-oriented design, emerged from the recognition that the advancements in the 1960s were not merely better iterations of existing systems but rather a new paradigm. This perspective led to the exploration of how end-users could invoke functionality and how data structures could be made more abstract.

Smalltalk, created by Dan Ingalls, Adele Goldberg, and others at Xerox PARC, was the first complete realization of these innovative ideas. It represented a qualitative shift in belief structures, akin to the invention of the printing press, and took extreme positions to ensure the emergence of new styles. This visionary programming language laid the foundation for the user interface, networking, and object-oriented programming that became central to personal computing.