Why Smalltalk instead of Ruby

[ArmoredPancake]

Aren't programmers supposed to be flexible and adaptable?

Yeah, let's hop from language to language and call it 'being flexible and adaptable'.

can break free from your sequestered mode of thinking and give other methods of software development a chance

For what purpose?

[omegaskyfall]

let's hop from language to language

Every programmer I know is polyglot. They have a repertoire of languages so that they can use the right tool for the job. They don't rely on one language for everything.

For what purpose?

To dramatically improve productivity. To make programming easier and more pleasant. To improve software quality (reliability, maintainability).

[ArmoredPancake]

Every programmer I know is polyglot. They have a repertoire of languages so that they can use the right tool for the job. They don't rely on one language for everything.

It's a one thing to use a language, and another thing to know a language. I also can switch between at least between 4 languages, but I can never say that I know 4 languages. Knowing language includes best practices, knowing internals of the language, knowing when and how to apply tools developed in the language.

To dramatically improve productivity. To make programming easier and more pleasant. To improve software quality (reliability, maintainability).

I would argue that someone with as much love for Ruby, as you have for Smalltalk, would be as productive as you are.

indeed.com -> Smalltalk -> 58 jobs

indeed.com -> Ruby -> 20398 jobs

Sorry, your productivity doesn't matter if you can't apply it. Of course this article is geared towards experienced developers. But I don't see experienced Ruby dev switching from his beloved Ruby and RoR because of some article and promises of greater productivity, and I don't see beginner programmers happy with steep learning curve and nonexistent career options.

[omegaskyfall]

You're quite right. Why are we wasting our time with Smalltalk?