Exploring the Unix-Smalltalk Connection: A New Programming Paradigm

I embarked on a journey from Prague to share an intriguing revelation: the Unix executable file is akin to a Smalltalk method in disguise. This idea, while initially perplexing, holds significant potential for transforming our approach to programming systems. Over the years, my research has focused on comparing programming systems to enhance and learn from them. Smalltalk, with its integrated graphical environment, serves as an aspirational model for a coherent, uniform programming system. Despite its past popularity, it has lost ground to Unix, which dominates due to its evolutionary adaptability.

Unix, unlike Smalltalk, is a meta programming system supporting various smaller systems. This flexibility has contributed to its widespread adoption. Steven Kell's analysis highlights the evolutionary nature of Unix, which contrasts with the designed coherence of Smalltalk. This evolution has led to a fragmented implementation of Smalltalk's desirable features within Unix.

In my exploration, I realized that Unix's executable files and processes can be viewed as analogous to Smalltalk's methods and method activations. Both systems have persistent states, with Unix files and Smalltalk objects serving as the basic units. However, Unix's transient processes differ from Smalltalk's persistent method activations, leading to a divergence in practical applications.

The Unix file system, with its directories and files, can be seen as a rough approximation of Smalltalk's object storage. By leveraging this perspective, I developed a proof of concept where Unix is programmed as if it were Smalltalk, achieving persistence, uniformity, and dynamic software updating. This approach, while currently hindered by performance issues, offers a glimpse into a new way of programming that combines the best of both worlds.

My implementation involved translating Smalltalk methods into Unix scripts, creating a system where directories act as objects and scripts as methods. This setup allows for dynamic code updates and persistent data storage, akin to Smalltalk's environment. Despite the performance overhead, this method provides a unique way to program in Unix, offering Smalltalk's conveniences without its limitations.

The potential of this approach lies in its ability to unify disparate programming systems under a common framework, leveraging Unix's infrastructure to mimic Smalltalk's dynamic environment. This could lead to a more flexible and integrated programming experience, bridging the gap between the two systems.

While challenges remain, particularly in optimizing performance, the concept of programming Unix as if it were Smalltalk opens up new possibilities for software development. By embracing this hybrid model, we can explore new frontiers in programming, combining the strengths of Unix's adaptability with Smalltalk's elegance.