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Deltatalk: An Empirically and Aesthetically Motivated Simplification of the Smalltalk-80 Language

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ECOOP’ 87 European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 1987)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 276))

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Abstract

The Smalltalk-80 system offers a language with a small and elegant conceptual core, and a highly interactive programming environment. We believe, however, that it could be made more learnable and usable by a relatively small set of changes. In this paper, we present the results of a series of empirical studies on learnability, and also some informal studies of large implementation projects. Based on these studies, we suggest a number of changes to the Smalltalk-80 language and system.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Department, FR-35, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195, USA

    Alan Borning

  2. System Concepts Laboratory, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, California, 94304, USA

    Tim O’Shea

  3. Institute of Educational Technology, Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK

    Tim O’Shea

Authors
  1. Alan Borning
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  2. Tim O’Shea
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Informatique, LIB, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, 6, avenue V. le Gorgeu, F-29287, Brest Cédex, France

    Jean Bézivin

  2. 54, avenue des Gressets, F-92700, La Celle Saint-Cloud, France

    Jean-Marie Hullot

  3. Rank Xerox France, DRBI, 12, place de l’Iris, F-92071, La Défense, Cedex 38, France

    Pierre Cointe

  4. The Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 545, Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Henry Lieberman

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© 1987 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Borning, A., O’Shea, T. (1987). Deltatalk: An Empirically and Aesthetically Motivated Simplification of the Smalltalk-80 Language. In: Bézivin, J., Hullot, JM., Cointe, P., Lieberman, H. (eds) ECOOP’ 87 European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming. ECOOP 1987. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 276. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-47891-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-47891-4_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-18353-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47891-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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