Amber Smalltalk
Encyclopedia
Amber Smalltalk, formerly known as Jtalk, is an implementation of the Smalltalk
-80 language that runs on the JavaScript
runtime of a web browser. It is designed to enable client-side development using the Smalltalk programming language.
Amber includes an integrated development environment with a class browser, workspace, transcript, object inspector and debugger. Amber is written in itself, including the parser and compiler, and compiles into JavaScript, mapping one-to-one with the JavaScript equivalent. Amber was created by Nicolas Petton.
Amber was influenced by an earlier Smalltalk in browser project, called "Clamato", created by Avi Bryant. Both Amber and Clamato use PetitParser, a Smalltalk Parsing Expression Grammar
(PEG) library written by Lukas Renggli. Both Clamato and Amber were influenced by earlier work by Dan Ingalls in developing the Lively Kernel
implementation of Smalltalk in the web browser using JavaScript.
Smalltalk
Smalltalk is an object-oriented, dynamically typed, reflective programming language. Smalltalk was created as the language to underpin the "new world" of computing exemplified by "human–computer symbiosis." It was designed and created in part for educational use, more so for constructionist...
-80 language that runs on the JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
runtime of a web browser. It is designed to enable client-side development using the Smalltalk programming language.
Amber includes an integrated development environment with a class browser, workspace, transcript, object inspector and debugger. Amber is written in itself, including the parser and compiler, and compiles into JavaScript, mapping one-to-one with the JavaScript equivalent. Amber was created by Nicolas Petton.
Amber was influenced by an earlier Smalltalk in browser project, called "Clamato", created by Avi Bryant. Both Amber and Clamato use PetitParser, a Smalltalk Parsing Expression Grammar
Parsing expression grammar
A parsing expression grammar, or PEG, is a type of analytic formal grammar, i.e. it describes a formal language in terms of a set of rules for recognizing strings in the language...
(PEG) library written by Lukas Renggli. Both Clamato and Amber were influenced by earlier work by Dan Ingalls in developing the Lively Kernel
Lively Kernel
The Lively Kernel is an open source web programming environment. It supports desktop-style applications with rich graphics and direct manipulation abilities, but without the installation or upgrade troubles of conventional desktop applications...
implementation of Smalltalk in the web browser using JavaScript.
External links
- amber-lang.net The Amber Smalltalk project's official site
- Jtalk, the Smalltalk for Web developers Nicolas Petton, slides presented at ESUG 2011 (European Smalltalk User Group Conference). Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. (August, 2011)
- Amber Smalltalk project GitHub page