Cincom Smalltalk Digest: February Edition
Welcome to the February 2024 edition of the Cincom Smalltalk Digest. In this month’s newsletter, you will find the following:
CUSTOMERS and PARTNERS
- Need to Submit a Cincom Smalltalk Support Case? Here’s How
- Customers and Partners, We Are Here and Listening
BEGINNERS and DEVELOPERS
- What Happened to Smalltalk: A Look at Cincom’s Advancements in Commercial Smalltalk
- How the Smalltalk User Experience Has Changed from Xerox PARC to Cincom
- Changes to the Smalltalk User Interface from Xerox PARC to Cincom
- Hidden Gems Tutorials: User Interfaces
CUSTOMERS and PARTNERS
Need to Submit a Cincom Smalltalk Support Case? Here’s How
If you need to submit a new case to Cincom Smalltalk Support, we’ve made it very quick and easy:
- VISIT: Cincom SupportWeb® for immediate support.
- EMAIL: HelpNA@cincom.com and EuroTSC@cincom.com to file new support cases.
- VIEW: Cincom Support Levels
- REVIEW: Cincom Smalltalk Resolutions Portal
When possible, please provide a test case. Test cases enable Cincom Smalltalk Support to better understand the issue by re-creating it in their environment.
- If you have any questions or comments, reach out to the Cincom Smalltalk Product Team at CSSTARTeam@cincom.com.
Customers and Partners, We Are Here and Listening
Thank you for being a valued customer or partner of Cincom Smalltalk. We’re always here to listen, learn from you, and support your needs where possible.
Do you have any feedback for our team? What are we doing right? What are we doing wrong? What could we do better? Are there other ways we can share information with you? Where do you get your information from? Perhaps there are websites, forums, or social-media sites that we currently don’t subscribe to that you could share with us.
We value your input and want to make sure you know how to get in touch with us. Please send your comments or suggestions to the Cincom Smalltalk Product Team at CSSTARTeam@cincom.com.
BEGINNERS and DEVELOPERS
What Happened to Smalltalk: A Look at Cincom’s Advancements in Commercial Smalltalk
From the software pioneers of Xerox PARC to the capable engineers of Cincom Systems Inc., Smalltalk has revolutionized the field of modern programming. This influential object-oriented programming language has left a mark on the global tech industry, shaping the way developers write and structure their code.
With its emphasis on simplicity and readability, Smalltalk offers a unique approach to software development. It allows programmers to break down complex problems into manageable components, fostering collaboration and code reuse. This, in turn, increases efficiency and productivity, making Smalltalk a favorite among developers worldwide.
Smalltalk’s impact goes beyond the realm of programming. Its philosophy of “everything is an object” has influenced other programming languages through the years, shaping their syntax and principles. Smalltalk has also paved the way for modern development tools and frameworks, empowering developers to create robust and scalable applications.
Let’s take a look at what happened to Smalltalk with the user experience and user interface:
How the Smalltalk User Experience Has Changed from Xerox PARC to Cincom
The Smalltalk user experience has undergone significant changes since its inception at Xerox PARC. The pioneering research conducted at Xerox PARC laid the foundation for Smalltalk’s simplicity, interactivity, and object-oriented nature. Cincom’s innovations and advancements have further enhanced the user experience, making Smalltalk more accessible, efficient, and versatile.
The Smalltalk user experience has had a profound impact on the development community, influencing the design and development of other programming languages and tools. Smalltalk’s enduring relevance and popularity are a testament to its intuitive nature and adaptability to changing technological landscapes.
As we look to the future, the Smalltalk user experience will continue to evolve, driven by the needs of developers and the advancements in technology. Smalltalk’s rich history and Cincom’s ongoing commitment to the user experience make it a programming language worth exploring and embracing for anyone passionate about software development.
- Click here to read more: (link to first article below)
Changes to the Smalltalk User Interface from Xerox PARC to Cincom
The changes made to the Smalltalk user interface from Xerox PARC to Cincom had a significant impact on user experience and productivity.
The introduction of a more intuitive and visually appealing design enhanced the overall user experience, making it more enjoyable and engaging for developers.
The customizable workspace in the Cincom Smalltalk user interface allowed developers to tailor the coding environment to their specific needs, improving productivity and reducing distractions. The addition of advanced code editing features and debugging tools streamlined the development process, making it easier for developers to write, understand, and debug their codes.
The productivity enhancements introduced by Cincom improved the usage of the development environment, allowing developers to navigate large codebases deftly. This underscored and enhanced productivity and efficiency.
The availability of comprehensive documentation and online resources, such as tutorials and screencasts for the Cincom Smalltalk user interface, made it easier for developers to learn and master the interface, reducing the learning curve and enabling them to make the most out of its capabilities. This accessibility further contributed to improved productivity and overall user satisfaction.
- Click here to read more: (link to second article below)
Hidden Gems Tutorials: User Interfaces
If you are interested in seeing the Cincom Smalltalk user interface for yourself, we have compiled a list of Hidden Gems screencasts that give a broad spectrum of capabilities:
- Hidden Gems: Cincom ObjectStudio’s Next Generation User Interface – Cincom® ObjectStudio® has always been a native Windows UI, meaning the widgets are native Microsoft widgets. ObjectStudio’s NGUI lets you get the most out of Microsoft’s UI widgets, giving you more fine-grained access, control, and flexibility for your applications. This screencast demonstrates a basic example (hello world), then shows you where to find more examples that you can reuse for your applications.
- Hidden Gems: Building with Cincom ObjectStudio Next Generation User Interface – Developing a Stock List/Chart interface using the ObjectStudio Next Generation User Interface
- Hidden Gems: Custom Interactive Views – One of the most powerful capabilities in Cincom Smalltalk is the ability to build and use custom views that draw and behave exactly how you want them to.
- Hidden Gems: Dynamic Interface Building – Building an application interface programmatically and dynamically. It reproduces an interface found on X at #LPLChartOfTheDay, which shows S&P 500 returns, on average, for every day of the year. The ability to construct interfaces programmatically and dynamically gives the developer incredible power and flexibility.
- Hidden Gems: Drawing – Building custom drawing for tools for applications so users can custom-build widgets. Users can also have interaction with that drawing and even animation. This Hidden Gems also discusses using drawing in the classic model view controller architecture.
- Hidden Gems: Drawing, Part 2 – Enhancing the basic application from the first video (Hidden Gems: Drawing) by using the model-view-controller architecture
- Hidden Gems: Tabs: It’s Nothing, It’s Everything – Discussing one new feature that can make a significant improvement in your daily use of Smalltalk.